NCAAF: Sun Belt Preview

Overview

Unless you're an alumnus or alumna of one of the schools in this conference, then you probably don't care much about it. The teams don't play on national TV often, they don't have any national championship contenders, and half the school names make you say "is that really a college?" To answer your question, yes, they are all Division I colleges, and they happen to play pretty decent football. Although you won't see any of these teams playing in BCS bowls, there is always the New Orleans Bowl, which invites a Sun Belt team to play in their bowl. Don't lie; I know you watch the New Orleans Bowl.

Team(s) With the Best Shot at a National Championship Bid
None

Like I said in the overview, none of the teams in this conference have a legitimate shot at playing for the national championship. The NCAA would like you to believe that every team has a shot when the season begins, but we know that that just isn't the case.

Out-Of-Conference Game To Watch
Middle Tennessee State vs. Georgia Tech (October 16th)

It may be a little late in the season for a team like MTSU to surprise a team like Georgia Tech, but you never know. The Blue Raiders have a talented quarterback in Dwight Dasher, who helped lead MTSU to a New Orleans Bowl win against Southern Mississippi last season. If he has an exceptional game and Georgia Tech comes in unfocused, then this one could be much closer than people expect.

In-Conference Game To Watch
Middle Tennessee State vs. Troy

This game will probably end up being the battle for conference supremacy. Troy has been the big dog in the Sun Belt conference for the past four years, but Middle Tennessee State will be chomping at the bit to rip the crown away from the Trojans. Troy lost a lot of starters from last season, so the time is now for the Blue Raiders if they finally want to beat the men of Troy.

Conference Predictions

1. Middle Tennessee State (8-4, [6-2])
2. Troy (8-4, [6-2])
3. Florida Atlantic (5-7, [5-3])
4. North Texas (6-6, [4-4])
5. Arkansas State (5-7, [4-4])
6. Louisiana-Lafayette (3-9, [3-5])
7. Florida International (2-10, [2-6])
8. Louisiana-Monroe (2-10, [1-7])
9. Western Kentucky (0-12, [0-8])



- K. Becks