Because we’re tremendously bored, we checked in on the early Vegas win lines for the Sun Belt, courtesy of BetOnline, the official wagering platform of the FunBelt Podcast. It’s difficult to question the wisdom of Vegas (nobody wants broken legs!), but a few of the numbers raised our collective eyebrows. Let’s look at each team:

DISCLAIMER: Wagering is for fun only and is not meant as a supplement to your income; also we suck at wagering

Appalachian State Mountaineers: 7.5 Wins

Head coach Shawn Clark and the Mountaineers finished second in the tough Sun Belt East last season with nine victories. Appalachian State returns only one member of the last season’s starting offensive line, and yardage muncher Nate Noel has bounced to Missouri. The good news is that QB Joey Aguilar is back, and the schedule isn’t too tough.

BET: OVER

Arkansas State Red Wolves: 6.5 Wins

The Red Wolves rebounded from several losing seasons to post six victories in 2023. Portal attrition delivered a few hits to to the defense, but what was among the youngest teams last season is gelling into a veteran squad, with sophomore Jaylen Raynor returning behind center and a running back trio that will compete to be the best in the Sun Belt. The downside? An OOC that features back-to-back games with Michigan and Iowa State.

BET: OVER

Coast Carolina Chanticleers: 5.5 Wins

With long-time SBC Offensive Player of the Year Grayson McCall departed for North Carolina State, and the majority of the roster that terrorized the Sun Belt East long gone, it doesn’t look like a promising season for Tim Beck and the Chants. Coastal managed to put together 8 wins last season and the schedule isn’t overwhelming, especially with Virginia coming to Conway. Still, it appears that, for now, the Age of the Chanticleers is over.

BET: PUSH

Georgia Southern Eagles: 5.5 Wins

When Clay Helton arrived to Statesboro, a period of rebuilding was expected, especially with Helton’s intentions of instituting an whole new offensive scheme. But after winning 6 games in his first year, expectations were readjusted. However, the win total remained stagnant last season. Complicating matters, QB Davis Brin and WR Khaleb Hood are gone. The schedule isn’t terrific either, with the Eagles playing at Nevada and Ole Miss before entering conference play at Georgia State.

BET: PUSH

Georgia State Panthers: 4.5 Wins

When the Panthers started last season 6-1, it felt like Shawn Elliot and Georgia State had finally fulfilled their promise. However, the Panthers wouldn’t win another regular season game, leading to Elliot bailing to become a positions coach at South Carolina, wide receiver Robert Lewis jumping to Auburn and all world running back Marcus Carol heading to Missouri. New head coach Dell McGee has injected some excitement with his recruiting, but the row appears to be a long ho in Atlanta.

BET: UNDER

James Madison Dukes: 8.5 Wins

For the last two seasons, the Dukes have established themselves as the benchmark for Sun Belt football, winning the SBC East twice. With great success comes brutal decimation. Head coach Curt Cignetti left for Indiana, and he took at least 13 Dukes with him. An added blow, insanely productive quarterback Jordan McCloud bailed for Sun Belt rival Texas State. New head coach Bob Chesney is making the right portal moves, and the schedule is pretty soft. But eight wins is a tall ask.

BET: UNDER

Louisiana Ragin Cajuns: 8.5 Wins

This is year 4 of the Michael Desormeaux Era, and his 13-14 record isn’t very impressive. However, he and his team have matured, and four OOC wins isn’t out of the question. The Cajuns lost promising young quarter back Zeon Chriss to Houston, but the Portal poaching has been fairly kind to Desormeaux this season. Still, is this team two wins better than last year’s team? With Arkansas State and Texas State rising in the SBC West, conference wins will be tough to come by.

BET: UNDER

Marshall Thundering Herd: 6.5 Wins

By the end of last season, Coach Charlie Huff sounded burned-out and defeated, and the program fired four assistant coaches in November. When starting QB Cam Francher announced his intentions to transfer, Coach Huff didn’t elect to take the high road. Compounding matters, all world running back Rasheed Ali and cornerback Micah Abraham are NFL bound. Does this team have six wins in it with games at James Madison, Ohio State and Virginia Tech?

BET: UNDER

Old Dominion Monarchs: 4.5 Wins

Why Vegas even bothers to analyze the Monarchs is a mystery. They honor no natural law! They are governed by chaos! Head coach Rickey Rahne manages to find victories in unlikely places, using scrap-heap quarterbacks to eek out wins through a solid defense. However, Cignetti plundered safety Terry Jones and defensive back Shawn Asbury for Indiana, SBC third teamer Wayne Mathews is now playing for Michigan State, and reliable corner back Lamareon James is now a Horned Frog. Do the Monarchs have enough functioning parts to survive the season?

BET: PUSH

South Alabama Jaguars: 6.5 Wins

If you chose to, you can read a lot into former Jags head coach Kane Wommack bailing Mobile for a coordinator position at Alabama. Perhaps he realized that after several years of enjoying high expectations and ultimately coming up short in the SBC West, the formula isn’t quiet there yet for South Alabama. New head coach Major Applewhite (formerly the OC) deals with the loss of QB Carter Bradley and WR Caullin Lacy, the latter leaving for Louisville. The defense received an even deeper portal plunging, with Yam Banks (Ole Miss), Marquise Robinson (Arkansas) and Khalil Jacobs (Missouri) all gone (though, notably, not to Alabama). A light OOC schedule doesn’t make up for a difficult conference slate.

BET: UNDER

Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles: 4:5 Wins

Even with the might of Frank Gore Jr. in the backfield, Will Hall had a difficult time finding wins last season, going 3-9 to the chagrin of the Hattiesburg faithful. Hall is back for fourth year, and he and his staff got busy compiling the conference’s second best overall recruiting (high school/transfer) class, including Florida State QB Tate Rodemaker and a load of seasoned defensive talent. After opening with Kentucky, the Golden Eagles have a winnable slate of OOC games, plus get Louisiana, Arkansas State and South Alabama at Hattiesburg.

BET: OVER

Texas State Bobcats: 8.5 Wins

Head Coach GJ Kinne clocked in a fantastic rookie season at San Marcos with an 8-5 record behind the offensive efforts of QB TJ Finley, running back Ismail Mahdi and wide receiver Joey Hobert. Of the three, only Finley bailed, and he is replaced by All-Sun Belt quarterback Jordan McCloud. The Portal wasn’t too harsh on the Bobcats, with WR Ashtyn Hawkins to Baylor being the most significant departure outside of Finley. The red bow; the schedule is favorable for a high-win finish.

BET: PUSH

Troy Trojans: 6.5 Wins

Success never goes unpunished, and have several seasons of excellence, Jon Sumrall left Troy for Tulane, bringing four Trojans with him. New head coach Gerad Parker quietly put together the conference 5th best overall recruiting class, adding 31 new faces to the locker room, including former 4-star recruit WR Marquez Dortch from California. Ingraining himself and these new players will be quite a labor, and he won’t have QB Gunner Watson or RB Kimani Vidal to lean on.

BET: UNDER

ULM Warhawks: 1.5 Wins

Just because the Warhawks won just two games last year means that they’re going to lose less than two this season. If General Booty, transfer QB from Oklahoma, sees potential in ULM, then so do we! New head coach Bryan Vincent has introduced nearly 38 new players to Monroe this off season, but despite plucky optimism and the energy a new head coach brings, the schedule may not even have one win for the Warhawks.

BET: PUSH