It’s over. Wait. You know what’s wild? It’s not over at all. The regular season is finished, tho, as is this free online course in Sun Belt Heat 101. Congratulations. None of you passed. Why? Because nobody can be a true student of Sun Belt Heat! It’s too unpredictable, too magical – it would be like earning a PhD in Bigfoot.

#1 Bowl Season is the Sun Belt’s Second Season

No conference will see more Bowling than the Sun Belt, with only two of its under performers (ULM and Southern Miss) excluded from receiving bowl game swag bags. Behold! An astonishing 12 teams, with even ineligible programs (JMU) permitted a sip from the Chalice of Bowl Glory. With 87% of the Sun Belt awaiting Bowl assignments, it feels like a second season for the entire conference.

#2 It’s Important that the Sun Belt Prove Itself Deserving

Commissioner Keith Gill and the Sun Belt have spent the last few seasons boasting about the conference’s bowl record, and deservedly so. However, the Sun Belt submitted a losing bowl record last season. This year, brace yourself for negative commentary surrounding the Sun Belt’s astonishing bowl haul – and what they think that means about the conference. Were I Gill (I could never be so smart and handsome), I’d encourage all twelve programs to toss the kitchen sink in an effort to win these games.

#3 We Were Right About Appalachian State Somehow!

In the preseason, Howlraiser projected that the Mountaineers would ascend to the top of the Sun Belt East standings. This prediction was made base on our having zero idea who was truly good in the SBC East, as every team had question marks and problem spots. But after a slow start and some puzzling losses, Joey Aguilar grew to become yet another devastatingly effective Appalachian State quarterback, providing enough offense to make up for the Mountaineers inconsistent defense.

#4 Sun Belt-on-Sun Belt Violence is Real

Seven Sun Belt teams finished 6-6. Four teams in the SBC West delivered 4-4 conference records. Four Sun Belt teams will go bowling this year despite submitting sub-.500 conference records. Apart from Troy and James Madison, there was nearly no separation between the rest of the conference, launching a war of attrition that lasted the entire season.

#5 Terry Bowden Did His Best [But So?]

In three seasons at Monroe, legendary head coach Terry Bowden delivered just five conference wins for the Warhawks. To fire a man who clearly has a adept way with mystic runes and unicorns might be a mistake, but even ULM has standards and aspirations. Bowden’s hire brought a burst of notoriety to ULM, but honestly, the Sun Belt isn’t a conference anymore for well-traveled coaches looking to stave-off retirement. This is an opportunity to for a young and hungry coach to show us his chops.

#6 It’s Coach Poaching Season

Inevitably, successful Sun Belt coaches find their names among those considered for plum Privileged Five jobs. We’ll see plenty of theoretical offers to Curt Cignetti, Jon Sumrall, GJ Kinne and possibly even Shawn Clark and Ricky Rahne. The Sun Belt has earned its reputation as a coaching incubator, with guys like Huge Freeze, Gus Malzahn, Eliah Drinkwitz, Willie Fritz, and Jamey Chadwell turning around programs and becoming household names. [Let’s just forget about Billy Napier and Scott Satterfield for now].

#7 The Monarchs Weirded Themselves to Mediocrity

Nobody expected much from ODU, and Ricky Rahne responded to the low expectations by become one of 12 Sun Belt teams going bowling. Grant Wilson didn’t ignite the world behind center, but he was more than serviceable enough at quarterback for the ODU’s underrated defense to keep the Monarchs in games – and win some. Here’s to stubbornly ignoring the prognosticators.

#8 Choose Your Champion: Troy or Appalachian State

It’s difficult to dismiss the Mountaineers, who at one point seemed ready to abandon their head coach on the Appalachian Trail. But after losing to Coastal and ODU, Appalachian State ripped off five straight wins, including an epic victory over James Madison and a brutal brutalizing of ancient foe Georgia Southern. Meanwhile, Troy has been consistently excellent, shrugging off a week 3 loss to James Madison to fill the schedule with Ws without much fuss or drama. Will it be more business for the Trojans, or will the Mountaineers ride a wave of confidence to victory?

#9 College Football’s Hell Mouth Yawns For the Sun Belt

Already, we’ve begun to see online content urging privileged programs to quick-fix their teams through the transfer portal. We know what that means: steel your loins, Sun Belt fans, they’re coming for your men! While it’s true that the Sun Belt has improved their own rosters through the Portal, the loss of top tier talent may be more devastating to the conference than acquisitions of ne’er-do-wells and malcontents. Support your team’s NIL, fans! The parademons are coming.

#10 Sun Belt Georgia Is Pain Given Football Form

Georgia Southern and Georgia State were among the very first Sun Belt teams to reach six wins and bowl eligibility. Since achieving that milestone, neither program has seen a victory since. What happened? For the Panthers, Darren Grainger and Marcus Carol were all-star players who could carry the team – provided that the defense did its job. They didn’t! Meanwhile, after a pretty hot start, Eagles import quarterback Davis Brin fell off a cliff, throwing five picks against 8 touchdowns his last five games. The Panthers and Eagles, once the two most exciting teams in the SBC East, finished fifth and last in the division, respectively.

#11 Arkansas State Will Be Favored to Challenge the West in 2024

After posting two conference victories in two seasons (both against ULM!), Arkansas State put up four victories over conference opponents in 2023 (including ULM), with the seeds of Butch Jones’ recruiting beginning to bear fruit. Provided that the program manages to hold on to its more “transferable” players, the Red Wolves will feature one the most experienced rosters of juniors and sophomores in the conference.

#12 The NCAA Squandered Two of James Madison’s Best Years

I know; you think the good times last forever. Some will view the Dukes being denied a shot at a SBC Championship and the opportunity for a NY6 Bowl with indifference. After all, there’s always next year. But as a fan of a program that went Bowling ten straight seasons before suddenly falling into the abyss, let me tell you, winning programs don’t stay winning programs forever. As much as Dukes fans hurt for missing these opportunities now, wait until James Madison endures its first period of mediocrity. The pain will be even greater.

Photo Credits: Sun Belt Media and Carla Wehmeyer of Arkansas State Athletics.