Key Games for the Div. I Arkansas Schools in 2016

Believe it or not, we're just a little over a month away from having college football back into our lives and the stacks couldn't be hire for the four Division I teams in the Natural State...

• It's year number four of the Bielema era and despite the seemingly huge odds Big Bret has shown improvement each of the previous seasons (starting his first year at 3-9 overall with an 0-8 league mark to last year ending the '15 season at 8-5 overall, 5-3 in SEC play). Despite losing stud offensive players in QB Brandon Allen, TE Hunter Henry and RB Alex Collins, many pundits still peg this to be Bielma's best team in his tenure; with a schedule including a trip to TCU, as well as hosting perenial powers like Alabama, Florida, LSU and an ever fiesty Ole Miss it'll be interesting to see if BB's 2016 Hogs can live up to the relatively high expectations. Speaking of high expectations...
• 
  
• ...In just two seasons as the head man in Jonesboro, Blake Anderson was able to get the Red Wolves back into dominating form, completely steam rolling through conference play and winning another outright sunbelt title (the program's fourth in the last five years). As impressive as 2015 was for Astate, the season started off rough for the Pack (starting September 1-3 with the lone win coming against a bad Missouri State team) and then getting thrashed by Louisiana Tech 47-28 in the New Orleans Bowl certainly left a bad taste in everyone's mouths to end the '15 season; Now with over 10 Power 5 transfers added throughout the last year to the program (ranging from former Pitt QB Chad Voytik to Arkansas' own Kendrick Edwards though he'll have to sit this season out) Anderson and crew looks certainly has made it clear they're playing for absolute keeps in 2016, and with a schedule that only has one P5 date (an iffy looking Auburn squad) and no Appalchian State to battle with, 2016 certainly appears to be yet another big season for Arkansas State.

• This will also be year three for Steve Campbell in Conway; the head bear began his tenure in 2014 with a 6-6 overall record, 5-3 in Southland play; the Bears showed progress last season improving their overall mark to 7-4 and posting a 7-2 league record. UCA fans are certainly hoping this will be the year Coach Campbell can get the Bears back to the postseason for the first time since the 2011 season, and getting their first three games of the season all at home certainly can help Central Arkansas' playoff aspirations go a long way.

• The Golden Lions were on cloud nine in 2012; originally picked third in the SWAC Western Division (and Fifth overall) in the Coaches preseason poll, Monte Coleman did the improbable and led UAPB to their first SWAC Championship (and second overall since 1966). However, just as joyous as the '12 season was, fast forward almost four years later and the Golden Lions have fallen immediately back on hard times, winning a mere eight games out of their last 33.The outlook for 2016 looks pretty grim for UAPB, being voted dead last in both the SWAC's Western Division as well as the league overall. 

With the storylines in mind, lets check out the team's schedules for the upcoming season and discuss which game will be the key games for each Arkansas team.

 

                                                             Arkansas Razorbacks

                                                          Key Game: Texas  A&M (Dallas)

To start off the month of September, the Hogs open up with Louisiana Tech, TCU and Texas State. Come the September 24th date against the Aggies in Dallas, Arkansas will most certainly be coming into Cowboys Stadium with a 2-1 mark; if the Razorbacks can somehow pull of the upset against TCU, this makes the game against A&M that much more critical. While October will still be a helluva month for the Hogs, if Arkansas can enter the Alabama game sitting at 3-1, it'll help shake off the "slow start" mantra that has haunted Bret Bielema and crew, not to mention end the four game skid the Razorbacks currently have suffered against A&M. 

 

                                                             2016 Razorbacks Schedule             

Saturday Sep. 3		Louisiana Tech Bulldogs  D.W.R. Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR	3:00pm CT SECN	Buy Tickets
Saturday Sep. 10		at TCU Horned Frogs  Amon G. Carter Stadium, Fort Worth, TX	6:00pm CT ESPN/ESPN2	Buy Tickets
Saturday Sep. 17		Texas State Bobcats  D.W.R. Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR	6:30pm CT SECN Alt.	Buy Tickets
Saturday Sep. 24		at Texas A&M Aggies  AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Oct. 1		Alcorn State Braves War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock, AR	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Oct. 8		Alabama Crimson Tide  D.W.R. Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Oct. 15		Ole Miss Rebels  D.W.R. Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Oct. 22		at Auburn Tigers  Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Oct. 29	---	OFF	---	---
Saturday Nov. 5		Florida Gators  D.W.R. Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Nov. 12		LSU Tigers  D.W.R. Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, AR	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Nov. 19		at Mississippi State Bulldogs  Davis Wade Stadium, Starkville, MS	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Nov. 26		at Missouri Tigers  Faurot Field, Columbia, MO	1:30pm CT CBS	Buy Tickets

                                                         Arkansas State Red Wolves

  

                                                        Key Game: Georgia Southern

When looking at the 2016 schedule for the Red Wolves, it would certainly appear to shape up nicely for Astate; only one "money game" against Auburn, two OOC games against a retooling Toledo and rebuilding Utah State squads and to top it all off no Appalachian State (which based on many pre season predictions seem to be the heavy favorites for SBC Champs). The two seemingly tough games on Astate's schedule would appear to be against '14 champs Georgia Southern and traveling to Lafayette. While the Red Wolves certainly have struggled to win in Cajun land (only winning there once in the last 14 years) the match up against Louisiana-Lafayette isn't until the second to last game of the season; The Eagles on the other hand is the first conference date for Astate on national tv; it's going to be huge for both teams, however if Arkansas State can get the win, it's almost probable they'll run through the next 4 SBC games to be 5-0 in conference come their November 17th trip to Troy (which certainly looks to be vastly improved in 2016). 

                                                              Red Wolves 2016 Schedule

Friday Sep. 2		Toledo Rockets  Centennial Bank Stadium, Jonesboro, AR	8:00pm CT ESPNU	Buy Tickets
Saturday Sep. 10		at Auburn Tigers  Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn, AL	6:30pm CT SECN	Buy Tickets
Saturday Sep. 17		at Utah State Aggies  Maverik Stadium, Logan, UT	8:00pm CT CBSSN	Buy Tickets
Saturday Sep. 24		Central Arkansas Bears  Centennial Bank Stadium, Jonesboro, AR	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Oct. 1	---	OFF	---	---
Wednesday Oct. 5		Georgia Southern Eagles Centennial Bank Stadium, Jonesboro, AR	7:00pm CT ESPN2	Buy Tickets
Saturday Oct. 15		South Alabama Jaguars (HC) Centennial Bank Stadium, Jonesboro, AR	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Oct. 22	---	OFF	---	---
Saturday Oct. 29		ULM Warhawks  Centennial Bank Stadium, Jonesboro, AR	TBA	Buy Tickets
Thursday Nov. 3		at Georgia State Panthers Georgia Dome, Atlanta, GA	6:30pm CT ESPNU	Buy Tickets
Saturday Nov. 12		New Mexico State Aggies  Centennial Bank Stadium, Jonesboro, AR	TBA	Buy Tickets
Thursday Nov. 17		at Troy Trojans  Veterans Memorial Stadium, Troy, AL	8:30pm CT ESPNU	Buy Tickets
Saturday Nov. 26		at UL Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns  Cajun Field, Lafayette, LA	TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Dec. 3		at Texas State Bobcats  Bobcat Stadium, San Marcos, TX

                                                              Central Arkansas Bears

                                                             Key Game: Samford 

When going over UCA's past couple of seasons, one of the key things that stuck out to me was the Bears mediocre showing it had against fellow FCS opponents in out of conference play; since 2013 the bears have gone 3-4, one of those being a 45-16 thrashing UCA took at Samford last season. Much like the NCAA basketball tourney, in the FCS world it's all about winning your conference title to get into the FCS football playoffs. If you don't win it, the next best thing you can do is win your non conference games. In fact, many pointed to the Samford lost as keeping the Bears out of postseason play last year; with not only revenge on UCA's mind, but the fact that their only other OOC game is slated against Arkansas State, that September 10th game could once again decide whether UCA can break their playoff appearance drought

                                                                UCA 2016 Schedule

09.01.16

6:00 P.M.

SOUTHLAND

HOUSTON BAPTIST UNIVERSITY

CONWAY

ESTES STADIUM

GAME PREVIEW

09.10.16

6PM

SAMFORD UNIVERSITY

CONWAY

ESTES STADIUM

FAMILY DAY

09.17.16

6PM

SOUTHLAND

NORTHWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY

CONWAY

ESTES STADIUM

HALL OF FAME / BAND DAY

09.24.16

TBA

ARKANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY

JONESBORO, AR

10.01.16

2:30PM

SOUTHLAND

ABILENE CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY

ABILENE, TX

10.08.16

OPEN

10.15.16

6PM

SOUTHLAND

MCNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY

LAKE CHARLES, LA

10.22.16

6PM

SOUTHLAND

LAMAR UNIVERSITY

CONWAY

ESTES STADIUM

HOMECOMING

10.29.16

TBA

SOUTHLAND

SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA UNIVERSITY

HAMMOND, LA

11.05.16

3PM

SOUTHLAND

STEPHEN F. AUSTIN

NACOGDOCHES, TX

11.12.16

3PM

SOUTHLAND

NICHOLLS STATE UNIVERSITY

CONWAY

ESTES STADIUM

MILITARY APPRECIATION DAY / SENIOR DAY

11.19.16

TBA

SOUTHLAND

SAM HOUSTON STATE UNIVERSITY

HUNTSVILLE, TX

  

ARKANSAS PINE BLUFF GOLDEN LIONS

                                                       Key Game: Alabama A&M 

It's been mighty tough goings for Monte Coleman and the Golden Lions. And the 2016 schedule for UAPB certainly doesn't offer any breaks for the squad; By the time their homecoming match up against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs comes around in middle October, it'll be only their second home game of the season (they do have a neutral site matchup against Jackson State in Little Rock on September 24th). The Golden Lions and Bulldogs have been pretty competitive against one another, alternating wins and losses against one another since 2008 (also keep in mind the home team has won eight out of the last nine times). With three of their remaining five games on the road after Homecoming, if the Lions want to have any chance at a successful season they've got to come up with the 'W' against A&M. 

                                                              UAPB 2016 Schedule

BIG JOHN MERRITT CLASSIC

09.03.16

6 P.M.

TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY

NASHVILLE, TENN.

NISSAN STADIUM

TV:

RADIO: KUAP 89.7 FM

09.10.16

6 P.M.

OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE STATE UNIVERSITY

PINE BLUFF, ARK.

GOLDEN LION STADIUM

RADIO: KUAP 89.7 FM

09.15.16

TBA

SWAC

ALCORN STATE UNIVERSITY

ALCORN STATE, MISS.

JACK SPINKS- MARINO CASEM STADIUM

RADIO: KUAP 89.7 FM

09.24.16

4 P.M.

SWAC

JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY

LITTLE ROCK, ARK.

WAR MEMORIAL STADIUM

RADIO: KUAP 89.7 FM

10.01.16

2 P.M.

SWAC

ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY

MONTGOMERY, ALA.

NEW ASU STADIUM

RADIO: KUAP 89.7 FM

HOMECOMING

10.15.16

2:30 P.M.

SWAC

ALABAMA A&M UNIVERSITY

PINE BLUFF, ARK.

GOLDEN LION STADIUM

RADIO: KUAP 89.7 FM

10.22.16

4 P.M.

SWAC

SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

BATON ROUGE, LA.

A.W. MUMFORD STADIUM

RADIO: KUAP 89.7 FM

10.29.16

TBA

SWAC

GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY

GRAMBLING, LA.

EDDIE G. ROBINSON STADIUM

RADIO: KUAP 89.7 FM

11.05.16

2:30 P.M.

SWAC

MISSISSIPPI VALLEY STATE

PINE BLUFF, ARK.

GOLDEN LION STADIUM

RADIO: KUAP 89.7 FM

11.12.16

2 P.M.

SWAC

TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY

HOUSTON, TEXAS

BBVA COMPASS STADIUM

RADIO: KUAP 89.7 FM

SENIOR DAY/CHURCH DAY

11.19.16

2:30 P.M.

SWAC

PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY

SBC Saturday 10/24

Earlier in the week, the Sunbelt finally had monumental conference games that would really start adding separation among the 'belters; the Red Wolves were able to snap a 2 game losing skid to the Cajuns and won Tuesday night in Jonesboro, then the Mountaineers absolutely crushed the Eagles, ending their 11 game winning streak in SBC play.

Now App State and Astate both sit alone at the top, both 3-0 in conference play (albeit Mountaineers have a much prettier looking overall record of 6-1).

However, we still have further conference games this Saturday so without further adieu, let's take a quick look at what to expect!

Battle of the 'Cats: Who's Going to Stay in the Conference Race?

First off, yes the Texas State promotions department is billing this as "Two Cats Teams"...I just spiced it up by adding battle. With that said...

..while technically not an elimination game whoever loses is going to be in a really deep hole after today. Despite injuries and a coach resignation in the season the bobcats are 3.5 point favorites at home (I've seen some sites only having Texas State as a 1.5 favorites), which I find surprising (also when you consider that the Bobcats are giving up nearly 50 points a game). While Texas State has been putting up the bigger numbers offensively than USA, it hasn't been resulting in scores (only scoring 14 against Houston and the 14 of the 27 scored against the Cajuns were late scores). I think jags are looking to be the more stable and balanced team whereas Bobcats look to be a squad fixing to implode.

USA-24

TxSt-17

Can the Vandals Score Conference Victory #2?

First a history lesson; the Vandals won on the road last week at Troy for the first time since 2011. If Idaho can beat the Warhawks today at the Kibbie Dome, it'll be the first time they have won back-to-back games since the 2009 season! And truth be told they have a real decent shot at it; ULM has just had a miserable season so far; it's been once decimated with injuries, losing the last 4 games and being outscored 178-69 since pitching a shut out against Nicholls State in week 2. It's homecoming at the Kibbie Dome, it'll be the first time Idaho has played in Moscow in nearly a month and coming off a very emotionally charging victory-Vandals look to be the more motivated, healthy team at the moment.

Idaho-27

ULM-21

Pillow Fight of the Week: Troy vs Aggies

The hits have just kept on coming for the New Mexico State Aggies; while certainly not even dark horse for the SBC Crown, their was much expectation at some sign of improvements in Las Cruces and while they haven been able to move the ball effectively and score (if you take away the Florida and Ole Miss games, Aggies have been averaging nearly 30 points a game and 416 yards) they have shown an inability at closing out games. Troy on the other hand is still trying to find it's footing with first year coach Neal Brown at the helm; while certainly not mentioned to be contenders for the conference either, nobody would've expected the clunker performance they gave in the lost at home to Idaho last week. Brown stated in his post game remarks he was very disappointed by this teams "lethargic" performance.  He made it abundantly clear the Trojans just weren't very motivated; even if they come out flat again, I think at this point the Aggies are just too befuddled at the moment to win this game.

Troy-31

NMSU-23

Sunbelt Expansion: 2015 Edition

Last summer, I wrote an insanely extensive and huge article detailing what (at the time) seemed like the inevitable conclusion: the 'Belt was going to add a new member to the conference. The only question was who?

Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) seemed like the strong candidate as they had made several public comments about their desire to move to the FBS. Recently, Sunbelt Commissioner Karl Benson finally admitted publicly for the first time that the conference and EKU have had formal and informal discussions with regard to membership. However, Benson also mentioned an additional name to the mix: Coastal Carolina University.

The Chanticleers, while certainly a name that has been thrown around and rumored before, never appeared to have any real (or at least public) desires to move up; after all they've only been sponsoring football for a little over 12 years now. But now not only have they been thrown into the mix, they certainly appear to be the front runners for the offer to become the long discussed "12th member"...and eventually bring their football.

The fact is the Chants, facilities wise, are not ready for FBS (particularly the football stadium, which we'll discuss later). Though EKU isn't quite up to par either, they've recently announced massive campus renovations and construction, including a completely new visitors grandstand which will have new locker rooms, coaches offices and other amenities.

On top of all the chaos was a report from the Dothan Eagle stating there will be a third campus visit by the SBC expansion committee-New Mexico State University-who will be hosting the group "mid week".

For this addition of the RamblinArkansan, we'll take a look at the three universities, their basic campus make up, facilities and I'll give my two cents on the situation.

Coastal Carolina: The University

• Established: 1954
• Endowment: $25.5 Million
• Enrollment: 8,867 (2014 Numbers)
• Campus Size: 630 Acres
• Location: Conway,SC (Pop. 16,317)
• Primary Academic Focus: Liberal Arts as well as one of 33 National Sea-Grant Universities
• Notable Alumni: Mike Tolbert, NFL Player (Carolina Panthers), Diamond Dallas Page (Professional Wrestler) Michael Kelly (Actor) Dustin Johnson (7 Time PGA Tour Champion) and Edwin McCain (vocal Artist).

Eastern Kentucky University:

• Established: 1906
• Endowment: $54.1 Million
• Enrollment: 13, 891 (2014 numbers)
• Campus Size: 892 acres
• Location: Richmond, Ky (Pop. 32,550)
• Primary Academic Focus: Teaching and Research Institution
• Notable Alumni: Roy Kidd (CFB Hall of Fame inductee and 8th winningest coach in NCAA history), Rex Ryan (Buffalo Bills Heach Coach) Sam Champion (Weather Anchor for "Good Morning America" and ABC News) Lee Majors (Actor).

New Mexico State University:

• Established: 1888
• Endowment: $222 Million
• Enrollment: 15,829 (2014 numbers)
• Campus Size: 6,000 acres
• Location: Las Cruces, NM (Pop. 97,618)
• Primary Academic Focus: Land and Space Grant Research Insitution
• Notable Alumni: Alvy Ray Smith (Co founder of Pixar), Pervis Atkins (NFL Hall of Fame Inductee), Scott Bailey (Actor), Alan Hale (Astronomer who discovered Hale-Bopp Comet), Reggie Jordan (Retired NBA player).

The Athletics: CCU

CCU Athletic Budget: $23, 374, 712
Notable accomplishments and accolades: Six Big South Football conference championships (2 outright, 4 shared) 5 FCS Playoff appearances (4-5 record).

Football Stadium: Brooks Stadium
Opened: 2003 (Renovated 2010)
Capacity: 9,214
Largest Crowd: 2014-Charleston Southern (10,194)



The basketball program has won five Big South Conference tournament titles, with an additional seven regular season titles as well as one divisional title in 2014. They've made Four NCAA tournament appearances (1991, 1993, 2014 and 2015), with two trips to the NIT (2010 & 2011) and one showing in the CIT (2012).

Basketball Arena: HTC Arena
Opened: 2012
Capacity: 3,212



Without a doubt, CCU's most accomplished athletic squad has been there men's baseball team. They have made the NCAA tournament 13 times,  The program has received #1 regional seeds on four occasions (2005, 2007, 2008, 2010) and won 50+ games in 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2010. In addition, the Chanticleers have hosted NCAA Regionals in 2007, 2008, and 2010 and a Super Regional in 2010. Their current head coach, Gary Gilmore, boasts an astonishing 67% winning average since he took over as coach in 1996 and has lead the Chanticleers to 10 Big South titles in his tenure.

Eastern Kentucky Athletics:

2014 Athletic Budget: $13, 033,265

Football accolades: Two National Championships in football (1979 and 1982), with two additional National Runner Up Titles (1980 and 1981), 21 conference titles (all in the Ohio Valley Conference; 1954, 1962, 1967, 1968, 1974, 1976, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1997, 2007, 2008, and 2011), and 21 appearances in the FCS playoffs, posting a 16-19 record in the post season, with the last appearance coming in 2014 against Indiana State.

Stadium: Roy Kidd Stadium
Opened: 1969
Capacity: 20,000
Record Attendance: 1979-Western Kentucky (25,300)


The Colonels Basketball squad has been a pretty successful team, making eight trips to the big dance (last one coming in 2014),winning six conference tournament titles as well six additional regular season titles. In addition they've earned one bid to the CBI tournament in 2010 and two trips to the CIT in 2013 and 2015.

Basketball Arena: Alumni Coliseum
Opened: 1963
Capacity: 6,500


Baseball hasn't been quite as prolific as CCU's, but the Colonels still have achieved quite a bit on the diamond; they've made four NCAA regional appearances, have won 16 OVC regular season conference championships (and four tournament championships) and boast 40 MLB draft picks. They recently hired Edwin Thompson (formerly the pitching and defensive coach as well as recruiting coordinator from fellow SBC member Georgia State) this past July.

New Mexico State Aggies Athletics:

2014 Athletic Budget: $29, 287, 917

Football Accolades: Four conference titles (two from the defunct Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association, and the additional two from the Missouri Valley Conference). Three all time bowl appearances, all in the Sun Bowl (1936, 1959 and 1960).

Stadium: Aggie Memorial Stadium
Opened: 1978
Capacity: 30,343
Largest Crowd: 1998-UTEP (32,993)

Basketball on the other hand has been the Aggies strongest and most consistent program in their athletic department. On top of boasting over 20 appearances in the NCAA tournament, NMSU has also made five sweet sixteen appearances. They've won six WAC Conference tournament titles and three additional Big West Conference tournament titles; in addition the Aggies have made four trips to the NIT.

Basketball: Pan American Center
Opened: 1968
Capacity: 12,482

Aggies baseball has made three NCAA tournament appearances (2002, 2003 and 2012) with one conference tournament title (SBC) 2002, and one regular season title during their WAC days (2012).

Their stadium, Presley Askew Field,  received a major improvement starting in May, 2014 was made with the addition of chairback seating and an expansion of the south stands. Additional 2014 improvements included dugout renovation and expansion, upgrades to clubhouse lighting, sprinkler system repair, fencing upgrades, pressbox upgrades, and upgrades to the scoreboard.






...WHEW! Let's take a deep breath and try to soak in all the information we've just reviewed. When it comes down to it, all three universities certainly have their pros that make them ideal candidates; Coastal Carolina, the youngest program of the three, certainly has achieved a vast amount of accolades, championships and accomplishments; located near a popular tourist destination of Myrtle Beach certainly boasts their appeal. Eastern Kentucky meanwhile has a strong pedigree of winning, particularly on the gridiron; Karl Benson has stated numerous of times finding a close travel partner for Appalachian State was and is going to be a huge factor in deciding a new member, which in that case geography plays a positive factor for the Colonels as they are located closer to Appalachian State (270 miles) than the Chanticleers (281 miles). However the wildcard here is undoubtedly the Aggies; Arkansas State athletic director Terry Mohajir as well as head basketball  coach for the Red Wolves John Brady have both gone on the record stating their full support for New Mexico State as full members; I think it's a safe bet to assume they're not the only SBC program to have New Mexico State's back in the expansion talks.

Other than finding the Mountaineers a travel partner, we really have no idea what else the conference is wanting in terms of new membership (or if their is anything else). As an outsider looking in, I can't help but feel this could be a potentially huge moment in the history of the Sunbelt Conference; I certainly get the reasoning for adding only one additional member and also the justification of adding all three and having a 12 team football and 14 all sports members alignment. However all of it is moot if the individual universities can't come to an agreement or at least a compromise; only time will tell as to what the expansion committee will recommend to the University Presidents.

2015 SBC Alamanc

Though many pundits may have less than favorable things to say about the Sunbelt Conference, I believe you can't argue that the league always is a Topsy-turvey one;  Last season the Ragin Cajuns were expected to finally top the hill and win their first outright conference title in four decades; instead the proud and loud upstarts Georgia Southern completely shocked the Belt and ran through their conference slate, winning the crown outright. Least we forget App State (also the youngbloods of the conference) who seemingly looked good as dead early on in their first season as an FBS upstart; yet they ended their season on a six game winning streak, including marquee victories both AT Lafayette and Jonesboro against the Red Wolves. South Al also surprised many, with clutch victories that ensured their first ever appearance in post season play (beating FAU's previous record as youngest Division I program to make a bowl game). Texas State ended up finishing strong, compiling a 7-5 record, yet being left out of post season play. Despite being beaten up by season's end, Blake Anderson still managed to secure Astate's 4th consecutive bowl game AND broke precedent by not only coaching the bowl game but actually staying for another season (it only took nearly five years!). After another dismal season, the men of  Troy saw changing of the guard with long time head honcho Larry Blakeney stepping down and handing the reigns over to Neal Brown, who despite being only 35 already has compiled an impressive coaching resume ranging from Troy to Texas Tech and Kentucky. New Mexico State, Idaho and Georgia State all once again struggled mightily, with all three head coaches compiling a combined win-loss record of 7-63 while being the head coaches of their respective institutions.

As we approach the 2015 season, it shouldn't shock those that follow the 'Belt that yet again, their is no clear cut favorite. Appalachian State, Georgia Southen, Louisiana Lafyette and Arkansas State all have strong cases for being considered the favorites for the SBC title (ranging from GATA's always imposing rushing attack, the Mountaineers have 20 starters coming back, the Cajuns with their imposing Defense and the Red Wolves with their high powered Offensive attack). Though the official head coaches preseason poll hasn't been released yet, many expect the aforementioned teams to be
the top four of the rankings.

As we further inch closer to the beginning of the 2015 season, a few things can be certain: in the crazy league known as the Sunbelt, somebody will scare one of the big boys (if not even upset them), somebody is going to go on a conference winning streak, and another is going to spoil one (or more) conference title dreams in the grand scheme of things-just another day in the 'Belt.

Team That'll Surprise-New Mexico State Aggies

The Aggies have been long suffering program (the last time they played in a bowl game the national average for regular gasoline was $0.31). Last season was no different going a dismal 2-10. However NMSU was a very young program, with majority of the starters being underclassman; Head man Doug Martin has been very methodical in rebuilding his depth chart, recruiting majority players straight from high school and very seldom adding from JUCO-this is going to take time and I don't think they're going to blow the doors off in '15, but I think they'll be much more improved and battle hardened. Furthermore, with the likes of fellow stinkers Georgia State and Idaho traveling to Las Cruces, along with a Troy program with a new headman, I don't feel it's a stretch to think NSMU could get to three wins; steal one on the road and that doubles the win totals from the last two seasons!

Team That Will Disappoint-South Alabama Jaguars

After fielding a football team for the first time in September of 2009, the South Alabama Jaguars became the youngest FBS program to make a bowl game, narrowly losing to the Bowling Green State Falcons. Despite the defeat, the sky is still the limit for a program that has boasted tremendous growth in five years; however as bright of a future as USA has, 2015 certainly bares a lot of question marks. On one hand, this Jaguar program lost quite a bit of players to graduation (15 to be exact
) and only returning five...total. On the flip side South Al was able to pick up eight transfers from UAB that are immediately eligible this fall, along with former Blazer OC Bryant Vincent. Though that certainly will help plug up the holes left from graduation, one has to wonder if they'll be able to adapt and adjust after such an emotionally draining ordeal in Birmingham. When you take the great lost of personal, an influx of transfers along with a fairly challenging schedule, I'm not sure if the Jags can match their six wins from a season ago.

Game of the Year: TIE (Ga. Southern vs App. State/Arkansas State vs LA. Lafayette

The week of October 19th-24th pits two of the most bitter and hottest rivalries the conference has to offer. It starts off with a Tuesday night National TV showdown between the Belts top performing programs over the last four seasons, the Cajuns of Lafayette vs the Arkansas State Red Wolves. Three days later, the defending SBC champs Georgia Southern will travel to Boone where the Mountaineers will not only want to return the beating they sustained the previous year, but catapult themselves to the top of the conference. Considering not only how much these teams despise one another, BUT these four programs have legitimate chances at winning the Belt, I gotta go with both match ups as conference game of the year. Mark my words...the winner of these two games will reign at the top come the end of the season.

Coach on the Hot Seat: Todd Berry, ULM

This is a no brainer...

Yes, solid arguments could be made for Trent Miles at Georgia State or Bobby Petrino over in Moscow but none of them have had the coaching tenure of Berry; his time at Monroe has been frustrating to say the least.

After going 9-15 in his first two seasons at ULM, Coach Berry and his Warhawks seemed to finally find their mojo in 2012; it started with the "Shock in the Rock", defeating the then ranked #8 Arkansas Razorbacks in Little Rock, followed by near (INSANELY near) victories over Auburn and Baylor to go on to win 7 of their next 9 games to secure their first bowl bid in school history, losing to Ohio Bobcats in the Independence Bowl. Despite the slight disappointing conclusion to 2012, the 2013 season was expected by many to be the Warhawks finest year, with many pundits and media outlets picking ULM to either win or share the conference title. They ended up going a very disappointing 6-6...they followed that with an even worse record of 4-8 in 2014. For over 30 years, Berry has had a very impressive coaching career at the Division I level at various assistant positions; however his success as a headman has been dismal at best, with his overall record being 56-93 during his times at Illinois State, Army and currently at ULM. Unless Berry can somehow come up with another miraculous season and secure ULM its second ever bowl game, (with the incredibly difficult schedule the Warhawks have for 2015 I highly doubt it), I gotta think ULM administrators would be about ready to find a replacement to lead the Warhawks back to the post season promise land.

Five Intriguing Non Conference Games (no particular order)

--Texas State @ Houston:

I love instate match-ups and the Bobcats will be wanting to make a bold statement throughout the Lone Star football world.

--ULM @ Hawaii:

The Warhawks have a brutal slate, including a trip to Hawaii Islands for this rather random match up; however if ULM can secure a win against the Warriors it might be the saving grace come bowl selection time.

Louisiana-Lafayette @ Louisiana Tech:

The Cajuns were flat out embarrassed and soundly beaten at home by the Bulldogs in 2014. No doubt Lafayette will want to return the favor as they return to Ruston for the first time since 2004, where they were beaten 24-20.

--Missouri @ Arkansas State:

For the first time in 14 years, the Red Wolves will host an SEC opponent at home in Jonesboro; on top of unveiling massive renovations to their stadium, Astate will more than likely have a chance to take down a top 25 team in Jonesboro as well.

--Georgia Southern @ Georgia 

We all know what a remarkable year the Eagles had in their FBS debut last season; on top of winning the belt, Georgia Southern nearly defeated not only NC State but fellow instate program Georgia Tech. Now they have a chance at toppling the (totally pun intended) top dogs of the Peach State in the Georgia Bulldogs; it'll be a tough challenge but the fact is they already took down one SEC east team nearly two years ago (Florida).