Arkansas State was on a bye week, which meant I spent most of the weekend in a catatonic state, mindlessly gazing into the souls of games that don’t matter, like Colorado vs Stanford, which was at 29-0 at halftime so I went to bed. The next morning, I learned that Stanford had won the game in overtime and I had no idea how, nor did I want it explained to me. That’s just how college football works out. One moment your cruising to a victory so certain that the announcers are discussing next week’s slate of games to fill time, and the next moment your head coach is sitting before a host of reporters, questioning your player’s love of the game.

ULM Has Made It’s Mind A Sunless Place

A couple weeks ago, the Warhawks were on the cusp of certain victory over the visiting Mountaineers when Joey Aguilar led Appalachian State to field goal range and, ultimately, a 2-point win. This week, it looked like Terry Bowden’s Boys had another upset victory grasped in it’s talons, pushing their lead to 20-9 in the fourth after a Warhawks pick 6. TJ Finley and the Bobcats responded with a TD drive, and then an eleven play, 76 yards touchdown drive with :46 left to cement the 21-20 comeback. What does this do to Monroe’s mental health? It’s gotta be depressingly profound, right?

Georgia State Is Back on Track

The world is forever unfair to the Panthers, whom we cruelly knock for its fanbase (small but building) and its propensity for failing to reach its potential. After enduring a Week 6 loss to Troy, the doubts returned despite the loss being only Georgia State’s first of the season. Coach Shawn Elliot and his squad made fools of those doubters by unleashing Darren Grainger on a suddenly vulnerable Thundering Herd. Grainger threw for 234 yards and a touchdown and ran for two scores to lead the Panthers to a crushing 41-24 no-doubt victory. Back on schedule, the Panthers are poised for a Sun Belt East run.

James Madison is Unbeatable

Raise awareness on a potential weakness of the Dukes (say, its young secondary), and Coach Curt Cignetti will use the mile criticism as ammunition. James Madison held Georgia Southern’s Davis Brin to just 275 yards, zero scores and picked two interceptions as the Dukes destroyed the Eagles 41-13 in Harrisonburg. Entering the game, it appeared that the high-flying Eagles were the Dukes’ most dangerous opponent, but Georgia Southern looked befuddled the entire game, with Jimmy Mad’s defense stupefying Brin and running back Jalen Wright, and Dukes’ QB Jordan McCloud making hay with three too-easy TD passes. Who’s left to challenge the Dukes?

Appalachian State and Marshall Aren’t Ready to Challenge the Dukes

With the Mountaineers falling to Coastal on Tuesday night, and the Thundering Herd looking helpless against the Panthers on Saturday, neither team looks ready to give James Madison a serious challenge. Marshall gets its shot next week, and Appalachian State has its turn November 18, but neither program is putting up the even-handed excellence displayed by the Dukes, whose defense and offense are firing on all cylinders, plus a few previously unknown.

Troy’s Defense Just Keeps Getting Better

Troy took a Georgia State offensive that put up 41 points against Marshall and held them to 7. Against a Red Wolves team that had averaged 42 points its last 3 games, the Trojans gave them three. This week, Jon Sumrall’s defense surrendered zero to Army in West Point, the first time the Black Knights had be shutout at Michie Stadium since 2003. The preseason prevailing wisdom from this website was that the Trojans had lost too much on defense from last year’s dominating squad to be a shutdown force in 2023. Of course, we were dead wrong. Today, the Trojans have the best defense in the Sun Belt and is ranked 12th nationwide.

Texas State Found a Way to Remain in the Sun Belt West Race

The Bobcats weren’t likely expecting to be handcuffed by the Warhawks on Saturday, but ULM is an underrated defensive squad (never mind the pummeling it received at the hands of a jacked up Jaguars team). GJ Kinne and Texas State, who lost a tough one to Louisiana the week before, displayed real mental toughness by keeping the game within range for three quarters before closing escrow as the seconds expired. Texas State remains for real.

PHOTO CREDIT: Sun Belt Media