College football started without the Sun Belt when a handful of teams kicked-off for Week Zero. Personally, I wish Week Zero wasn’t a thing. But since it is a thing, the Sun Belt was afforded a sneak-peek of future opponents. Hopefully, everybody used that opportunity constructively.
That said, Week One belongs to the Sun Belt, with all fourteen teams (all situated in a very reasonable footprint) in play. Not a single zero in the entire bag! Every game is 100% USDA Choice!
Friday, September 4
North Carolina A&T Aggies (0-1) @ Georgia State Panthers (0-0), 6:00 PM, ESPN+, -28.5 PANTHERS
The Panthers already have the luxury of seeing NC A&T in action – the Aggies got beat by Morgan St. 17-7 in Week Zero. Head coach Dell McGee and Georgia State will welcome any advance information they can get, seeing how the last couple of seasons in Atlanta have played out. Aggie QB Braxton Thomas could give the Panthers cornerbacks a workout – Braxton threw for a cool 250 yards in the loss. Look for Georgia State to pad their stats early.
OUTCOME: Panthers Suddenly Become the SBC East Favorite
Saturday, September 5
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (0-0) @ West Virginia Mountaineers (0-0), 11:00 AM, TNT, -21.5 Mountaineers
What’s new for the Chanticleers? Just about everything, including head coach Ryan Beard, most recently of Missouri State. The Mountaineers aren’t expected to be a big player in the BIG12 this season, but they do have a stud at running back in Cam Cook, the Jacksonville State transfer who led the FBS with 1,659 rushing yards in 2025 and scored 16 touchdowns. Coastal might have enough linebacker depth and experience to contain Cook, but there are too many unknowns in Conway to offer a reasonable assessment. I suspect “Country Roads” will be played over the PA at some point.
OUTCOME: Beard will be eager to showcase his abilities, but the edge goes to West Virginia at home
Liberty Flames (0-0) @ James Madison Dukes (0-0), 11:00 AM, ESPNU, -6.5 DUKES
Everybody in the Sun Belt kinda hates Liberty, and it doesn’t help that former Coastal head coach Jamey Chadwell helms the Flames. Liberty projects to be a CUSA contender thanks to their size and experience on both sides of the trench. Meanwhile, new JMU head coach Billy Napier is only trying to maintain expectations as a College Football Playoffs contender while rebuilding a team largely poached by outgoing head coach Bob Chesney. No pressure! Week 1 is a terrific litmus test for determining whether James Madison is repeating or regressing in 2026.
OUTCOME: The Flames have enough experience and consistency to beat the spread…and possibly the Dukes.
Marshall Thundering Herd (0-0) @ #18 Penn State Nittany Lions (0-0), 2:30 PM, FS1, -24.5 Nittany Lions
I don’t know what a nittany is, nor do I want it explained to me. But I do know that Penn State is celebrated for its plain uniforms and its dedication to underwhelming. Let’s talk Sun Belt: now in his second year, Tony Gibson leads a Marshall team that many believe has a good shot at winning the SBC East behind quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson and one of the conference’s best offensive lines. The Herd have a history for upsetting the apple cart, having recently trashed #8 Notre Dame. Coach Gibson would like nothing more than cement his legend by adding another blue-blooded feather to Marshall’s cap.
OUTCOME: Don’t be surprised if Marshall gives Penn State one hell of a game
Maine Black Bears (1-0) @ Appalachian State Mountaineers (0-0), ESPN+, -18.5 MOUNTAINEERS
Did Dowell Loggains at the Mountaineers football staff study the Black Bears’ Week 0 victory over Towson? I’m guessing they did. Maine scored all of their 21 points the second quarter and took the rest of the game off. That plan likely won’t work in Boone, but then again Appalachian State has had its hiccups in recent season. Still, Danger Zone Loggains has brought a ton of talent to the mountains, and I suspect that Appalachian State will win on talent alone on Saturady.
OUTCOME: Go ahead and bet the over. I’m always right.*
Alcorn State Braves (1-0) @ Southern Miss Golden Eagles (0-0), 4:00 PM, ESPN+, -21.5 GOLDEN EAGLES
The Braves clobbered Miles 56-7, thanks largely to five touchdown passes from Alcorn State QB Jaylen Tolbert. Coach Blake Anderson may be working with an entirely new offense and defense, but the likelihood of Southern Miss surrendering five touchdowns to Alcorn State in Hattiesburg is slender indeed. That being said, the Golden Eagles will not be taking this game lightly. Look for the Braves to bang the new off the Golden Eagles.
OUTCOME: Southern Miss will make victory look difficult
Norfolk State Spartans (1-0) @ Old Dominion Monarchs (0-0), 5:00 PM, ESPN+, -41.5 MONARCHS
Sorry, Spartans, but Vegas was not impressed by your 56-0 victory over Winston-Salem, whom I assume smoke too many cigarettes. Old Dominion is favored (by me) to win the SBC East and maybe the whole conference, and I don’t anticipate head coach Ricky Rahne pulling too much out of the playbook to close escrow – which means maybe that line is a bit too high.
OUTCOME: Unwatchable
Arkansas State Red Wolves (0-0) @ Memphis Tigers (1-0), 6:00 PM, ESPN+, -10.5 Tigers
The Tigers closed out Week Zero with an impressive victory of UNLV, leaving Butch Jones and his staff to concoct means for stopping Memphis’ zealous pass rush. The Red Wolves do have a stout offensive line and a menagerie of skill players that can potentially menace the Tigers’ beatable secondary. However, there might not be enough size and depth on the A-State defensive line to stop Jaylin Carter at the Memphis run game.
OUTCOME: Red Wolves haven’t enough vibe to overcome the Tigers’ talent
Charleston Southern Buccaneers (0-1) @ Georgia Southern Eagles (0-0), 6:00 PM, ESPN+, -25.5 EAGLES
I don’t know much about Charleston Southern, but then again, I don’t know too much about Georgia Southern, either. Head coach Clay Helton introduces another intriguing starting quarterback to Statesboro – seven year player Max Johnson, who hasn’t started a game since 2023. Still, Johnson is a big throwing big QB who fits Helton’s air-mail ethos. Watch for Johnson to spend the evening fine tuning his relationship with the Eagles’ wide receivers.
OUTCOME: Eagles are all business
Southeast Louisiana Lions (0-1) @ South Alabama Jaguars, 6:00 PM, ESPM+, -12.5 JAGUARS
The bad news for the Lions is that they’ve already started the season with a loss to Houston Christian. The worse news is that they’re likely to lose to South Alabama, too. Head coach Major Applewhite has the luxury of welcoming back starting quarterback Bishop Davenport and a handful of skill guys. But the defense is still a hodgepodge of mystery, which is probably why the Jags aren’t favored by more. With all that said, taking SE Louisiana lightly would be a mistake. Nobody wants to break the SBC Golden Rule: You Don’t Lose to the FCS.
OUTCOME: South Alabama grinds a win, maybe even beats that spead
Sam Houston Bearkats (0-0) @ Troy Trojans (0-0), 6:00 PM, ESPN+, -17.5 TROY
The Bearkats endured a miserable 2-10 season last year but still managed to collect a win over Oregon State, the jewel of the Pretend 12. Meanwhile, the Trojans are your defending Sun Belt West champion picked by many (but not me) to repeat as divisional champs. What will menace the Trojans is the Bearkats run game which returns Landan “CoCo” Brown and Alton McCaskill, who combined for 858 rushing yards and six touchdowns last season. Troy ranked 104th against the run last season.
OUTCOME: Troy wins at home, but it will be interesting to note how Troy wins
ULM Warhawks (0-0) @ Mississippi State Bulldogs, 6:30 PM, ESPNU, -28.5 Bulldogs
The Warhawks get the second of two ESPNU slots in Week 1 when head coach Bryant Vincent charters the rental bus and drives his team to Starksville. Vincent, now in his third season in Monroe, gets to field Aiden Armenta at QB for another year but most of last year’s production has hit the bricks. Meanwhile, only Arkansas is projected to fare worse in the SEC than Mississippi State. What better moment to increase Vincent’s stock than to perform well against an SEC opponent on national television?
OUTCOME: Warhawks have enough to beat the spread
Northwestern State Demons (0-1) @ Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (0-0), 6:30, ESPN+, -44.5 BULLDOGS
The Demons have already been ingloriously exorcised by Louisiana Christian and it doesn’t get much merrier in Week 1 when they stagger into Rustin. I haven’t much analysis except to say that the Sun Belt gets a good look at starting QB Blake Baker.
OUTCOME: Bodybags
Lamar Cardinals (1-0) @ Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (0-0), 7:00 PM, ESPN+, -20.5 CAJUNS
Our congratulations to the Cardinals for its win over Abilene Christian, but now they get a Ragin’ Cajuns team that is itching to erase the disappointment of last season. Lunch Winfield is now entrenched behind center, and head coach Mike Desamoux enjoys the second-most return production (just behind Arkansas State).
OUTCOME: Fewer bodybags
* I’m never right