Georgia Southern (6-2, 5-0)
The new team in the conference continues to show it is the best. Georgia Southern demolished in-state foe Georgia State 69-31 Saturday in Atlanta to win its fifth straight game. The nation’s leading rushing team continued its dominance in the ground game with 613 rushing yards to Georgia State’s 47. Georgia Southern is the team to beat in the Sun Belt heading into November.
Louisiana-Lafayette (4-3, 3-0)
A 55-40 win over Arkansas State last Tuesday cemented Louisiana-Lafayette’s place at No. 2 in the Sun Belt. With back-to-back games on ESPN2, the Ragin’ Cajuns are getting screen time to show off their offense averaging more than 40 points a game during a current three-game winning streak. If the Ragin’ Cajuns beat South Alabama Saturday, the rest of the schedule should be a breeze.
South Alabama (5-2, 4-1)
South Alabama leads the Sun Belt in scoring defense, allowing 21 points per game. Now, the team’s offense has caught up to the defense, led by senior quarterback Brandon Bridge. The Jaguars are on a four-game winning streak where their lowest point total was 27 in their win over Troy Saturday. That is a major improvement from their offense, which scored 31 points over the first three games of the season.
Arkansas State (4-3, 2-1)
Usual conference heavyweight Arkansas State has struggled on the road this season with a 1-3 record. The most recent loss came last Tuesday at Louisiana-Lafayette. A Saturday road game at Idaho offers the team a chance to correct its road woes, but the Vandals come into the game with momentum off a Homecoming victory over New Mexico State.
Texas State (4-3, 2-1)
Texas State has had an inconsistent season, with no winning or losing streaks lasting longer than two games. A Saturday game against New Mexico State is as winnable a game as any for the Bobcats. Most recently, TSU edged by Louisiana-Monroe 22-18 last Saturday after two fourth quarter touchdowns. The rushing game has been the strength of the Bobcats this season, as they sit at second in the conference with 231.7 rushing yards per game.
Louisiana-Monroe (3-4, 2-2)
October was a tough month for Louisiana-Monroe, as the team went winless with losses to Arkansas State, Kentucky and Texas State. The Warhawks may have to wait one more week to get back to the win column, as a Saturday trip to College Station to face Texas A&M is a tall order. On the Brightside, ULM has the best total defensive in the Sun Belt, allowing a conference low 364.7 yards per game.
Appalachian State (2-5, 1-2)
After four straight losses, Appalachian State went into its bye week with some confidence after a 53-14 win over Troy two weeks ago. This week, the team should be rested and ready to play conference bottom-dweller Georgia State Saturday. The Mountaineers need to win the upcoming game, as tough road games against Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette are still on tap.
New Mexico State (2-6, 1-3)
Not much has gone right recently for a New Mexico State squad on a six-game losing streak. Quarterback Tyler Rogers leads the nation in interceptions and backup Andrew Allen didn’t fare much better Oct. 18 against Idaho. The positive news for the Aggies is they are going into Saturday’s game off a bye week. A chance to rest and regroup was much needed for a team that has been headed downhill since September.
Troy (1-7, 1-3)
Conference play hasn’t fared much better than nonconference play for Troy. Winnable games against Georgia State and Idaho are on the horizon, but the Trojans can’t look past conference leader Georgia Southern this weekend. Troy has struggled to stop the run this season, allowing 244.6 yards per game, which isn’t a good sign since they are about to face the nation’s top rushing attack.
Idaho (1-6, 1-4)
After a season full of close losses, Idaho finally grabbed its first win of the season during Homecoming against New Mexico State. The Vandals head into a Saturday contest against Arkansas State off a bye week. Freshman quarterback Matt Linehan is expected to start after being knocked out of the game against NMSU in the first quarter, but backup Chad Chalich showed he also could lead the Vandals to victory.
Georgia State (1-7, 0-5)
Georgia State started the season with a win over Abilene Christian on Aug. 27. Since then, they haven’t been able to grab another win thanks to dismal defensive play. GSU is allowing a conference worst 43.6 points per game. Games in the next two weeks at Appalachian State and Troy are the best chances at a conference win for the Sun Belt’s worst team.