Analysis, Kick Off Times, Broadcast, and Spreads for Every Week 13 Sun Belt Football Game

Call the roller of big cigars! We did it, ladies and gentlemen. We’ve arrived to glorious purpose – the week that determines who throws down for Sun Belt bling. Troy, by virtue of being very good, has already earned top Sun Belt West honors. Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina continue to throw hands in the East. Also hanging in the balance – a number of potential bowl invitations.

Saturday, November 25

Troy (9-2) @ Southern Miss (3-8), 11:00 AM ESPNU, -16.5 Trojans

For a game that means nothing, there is some interesting intrigue surrounding the Trojans versus the Golden Eagles. Though Troy has already closed escrow on a SBC Divisional Title, Jon Sumrall will want to make a nice impression on ESPNU, raising eyebrows from bowl executives, the College Football Playoff Committee voters…and perhaps suiters from programs with coaching vacancies. Will Hall of Southern Miss has something to play for, too: job security! This game is Hall’s last opportunity to placate the grouches in Hattiesburg.

Prediction: Troy wins, but perhaps not as bigly as Vegas thinks

Georgia State (6-5) @ Old Dominion (5-6), 1:00 PM ESPN+, -3 Monarchs

It wasn’t long ago when the Panthers were the first Sun Belt team to officially meet bowl eligibility and we were all wondering if head coach Shawn Elliot was the conference’s coach of the year and if quarterback Darren Grainger deserved a Heisman. Four straight losses later, Georgia State looks absolutely spent, especially defensively. Now they get to visit ODU, the weirdest team in college football. Few would have predicted this preseason that Rickey Rahne and the Monarchs would be knocking on a bowl game, but strangely here we are. We think Old Dominion wins this game, we just don’t have any idea how.

Prediction: ODU keeps it weird this post season

ULM (2-9) @ Louisiana (5-6), 2:00 PM ESPN+, -13 Cajuns

There’s no Napoleonic Code to safely marshal the seething hatred between the Warhawks and Cajuns! Bitter anger is really the only thing ULM has right now, which may be enough to deepen the bottomless dismay of Louisiana, who has been sitting on 5 wins since October 28 when the Cajuns dispatched South Alabama. Clearly, this game means more marbles to Mike Desormeaux, who continues to straddle the line between “The Cajuns are Back” and a press release announcing a new coaching search.

Prediction: ULM taint the Cajuns’ gumbo

Georgia Southern (6-5) @ Appalachian State (7-4), 2:30 PM ESPNU, -9 Mountaineers

With wins over Coastal Carolina and Georgia State, it appeared that the Eagles were on the verge of becoming the power of the Sun Belt East. Since obtaining magic win number six, Clay Helton and Georgia Southern have lost three straight, including defeats to lowly Marshall and bizarre ODU. The high octane gas that once contaminated beautiful Eagle Creek has been burned, and now they have to travel to Boone to face a lightning hot Mountaineers team that smells a SBC East title. Shawn Clark needs the win bad. Coastal has the tie-breaker in the event the Chants and Mountaineers both win or both lose on Saturday.

Prediction: Mountaineers twist the Eagles into a matching set of Adirondack rocking chairs

James Madison (10-1) @ Coastal Carolina (7-4), 2:30 PM ESPN2, -9 Dukes

Not only do the Chanticleers want to avenge the 47-7 loss it suffered to JMU last season, but also cement a second consecutive SBC East title to boot. As of this writing, starting all-universe quarterback Grayson McCall has yet to even practice after absorbing a concussion against Arkansas State, leaving the signaling to either Ethan Vasko or Jarret Guest (who returned to from his own injury to start against Army last week). Meanwhile, the Dukes are bummed after losing their fight with the NCAA and Appalachian State in the same week, leaving nothing more to play for than Curt Cignetti’s rage at the world.

Prediction: The Dukes pour all of their malice into ruining Coastal’s good mood

Arkansas State (6-5) @ Marshall (5-6), 2:30 PM ESPN+, -2.5 Thundering Herd

Are the Red Wolves back? Well, they’re defeating teams they’re supposed to beat (UMass, ULM, Southern Miss), defeating comparable teams (Texas State, Louisiana) while losing to the conference’s better programs (South Alabama, Troy). Marshall provides yet another litmus test for the efficacy of Butch Jones’ rebuild. The Herd have suffered a terribly disappointing season, but have a shot at a measure of redemption by qualifying for a bowl game – provided Charlie Huff and Pals can push past A-State.

Prediction: Red Wolves aren’t finished crushing haters

South Alabama (6-5) @ Texas State (6-5), 6:00 PM NFL Network, -6 Jaguars

If the Monarchs are weird, the Jaguars are confoundingly perplexing, losing games they clearly have the talent to win all season long. A burst of potential-reaching has brought South Alabama to bowl eligibility, and now they meet the equally-as-bowl-eligible Bobcats, a program ahead of schedule but also the recent recipient of a 77-31 manhandling by the Red Wolves. Everybody knows that “7-5” sounds a lot better than “6-6.” Who likes it better?

Prediction: GJ Kinne loves San Marcos and won’t let them down

Photo Credit: Sun Belt Media