Sun Belt Conference teams began their season tonight. Or, well, Georgia State did. Everyone else is on Saturday. I think. Don’t fact check me. And judging by the below comments, neither did they. Might as well give how everyone thinks of all 14 teams as part of the Anonymous Sun Belt Football Fan Opinions Poll
Put all 14 teams into a list randomizer and will reveal the thoughts in that order. Unlike last year when there was time, we’re doing all 14 teams at once.
Some comments were lightly edited. There are quite a few troll comments, which could be fun to you.
What are your thoughts on James Madison Football going into the 2026 season?
Billy will rise again
solid program, but this last hire broke their tendency
Complete rebuild this year but they made a quality hire at HC. In the past Napier has built teams slowly to fit his vision. I expect that will be the same but they are still going to be a difficult team to beat.
Declining
They can’t keep hitting the coaching lottery. They lose a step this season
Shock everyone except JMUers…Billy will be thrilly
Hope they choke big time
Barf.
Their fans are way too full of themselves and I hope they get taken down a notch.
Golden boys. Good at football, good at basketball, good at everything. Academics are a cut above the rest of us. F ’em!
I think they win the division easily but are the weaker of the two teams in the championship
I think they’re overrated and will struggle. Billy Napier doesn’t have a track record of starting out strong. It’s going to take time to build up what he wants to do. And what he wants to do is nothing like Chesney or Cig did.
Legend in their own fans’ mind.
I think they’ll still be towards the top if not at the top of the conference again but the gap between them and the rest of the league will shrink significantly.
The Dukes have questions at QB which is never a good thing, but they are MAMMOTH across the lines. If those lineman can move, they can carry a game manager QB that doesn’t turn the ball over. I have them winning the SBC again.
Can the Dukes prove that last year’s playoff run wasn’t a fluke? To this day many still complain about their admission, they will have to win again this year and prove they belong.
Fingers crossed they continue to win, but with so much turnover at our level they are bound to have a stinker at some time.
I hope they burn to a pile of ashes
the shizzle
Conference favorite until proven otherwise. Napier loves a place where he has financial advantages over his competition.
SHOULD COMPETE FOR THE EAST
Should be pretty good, but the fans may have lost touch with reality a bit
They hit a wall with 7 wins
They spend the most money and make good program decisions so far.
They will continue to succeed.
I hope they are horrible, can’t stand them in anything
I think they’re being incorrectly favored to win the SBC this year. New to them Coach Billy Napier showed difficulty competing in the NIL era with more resources, now he has less. He has notoriety from his time at Florida, and is familiar with the SBC, but he competed in the generally weaker division. He has an entirely new roster, although he recruited well. But new coach, new team, and no recent winning history. Don’t get me wrong, JMU could still field a team that wins the East and the SBC (any school could these days); but there are a lot of unknowns to suddenly crown them preseason favorites when last year’s team isn’t there anymore, its at UCLA.
Ugh.
If JMU and Louisiana Tech could have a baby, it’s swollen head could not go thru a basketball hoop.
Interesting experiment with Napier. I don’t think he can repeat what he did at Louisiana in the NIL era.
Takes a small step backwards but best in the leauge in my opinion
Too much turnover this year, but think Napier will ultimately be really successful there
Overrated
Overrated this year
Still a contender
Unfortunately, they’ll probably win the east. Would love nothing more than to rain (or throw snowballs) on their parade though.
Can they keep rolling?
Down year.
Probable Champion
Rebuilding and 13 former starters playing for P4 teams now. They are better than half the teams even in a complete rebuild year with a new coach and a new roster. 8-4 with a chance for a few solid wins, but will likely lose some on the road like in the 2024 rebuild season.
Good
one of the best teams in conference until proven otherwise, although its a rebuild.
Lots of questions. Can Napier reclaim his rep as a top coach? Will the transfer OL and DL play championship FB? Spoiled fans will turn ugly if Napier stumbles.
It’s going to be a down year and the fans will be mad. 8-4
Until proven otherwise, 1st in the East and favorite to win the entire conference.
Everett Withers will be James Madison’s head coach next year god willing
What are your thoughts on Marshall Football going into the 2026 season?
I Herd they’re supposed to be good
Sneaky good
Sounds overrated
I’m feeling pretty good about Marshall. They challenge for the East for sure and maybe win it all!
Best program in the belt
Have the returning talent to win it all if the coach learned anything
They are who we thought they weren’t
Competitive again
6-6
Great brand. Solid ball club. Always enjoy playing them.
Will be slightly better, they got unlucky lats year and they should make a bowl this year
I think they will struggle. They lost a lot of players.
They need a down year
I think if JMU slips back a bit they could make a run at the East.
They’re always a scrappy team. I don’t see them winning the conference, but they won’t be at the bottom either.
If JMU falters, I think this team wins the Sun Belt.
Solid expectations
do you mean Southern Miss, err, Memphis?
lots of turnover, who knows?
Louisiana Tech’s newest rival thanks to X
SHOULD COMPETE FOR THE EAST
Best team in the SBC
I think we win the SBC out right
Top 3-4 program in the east
I believe they are going to be the winners in East, a very good team
They have a lot of returning players, second year head coach (where a lot of the East is starting fresh). I think Marshall are contenders for the East, but will definitely make a bowl game.
Solid
Needs some more humbling
I don’t get the Carlos Del Rio-Wilson hype. He’s just the best QB to not exhaust eligibility or move on for a higher payday.
Carlos Del Rio Wilson is their entire team and will determine how they do
CFP and SBC title or bust!
Contender
Growing
In contention for east division
Intrigue. Don’t really know what to expect given they’ve been in rebuild mode following Huff’s departure.
Always represents
Will win East.
top half of eastern division, possible contender
Should be better in year 2 for their coach, but who knows if they have enough talent added. If they lower admission standards like usual then they have a chance of getting athletic thugs who can’t get admitted anywhere else.
Good
Probably have the best chance at winning the belt if they keep their star QB healthy
Top QB. Will the Herd find a D? Enjoy sharing a conference with them.
Struggle to make a bowl.
They are Marshall. I think they’ll finish second in the East.
Do y’all have a normal athletic department yet? If not you should probably get on that
What are your thoughts on Georgia State Football going into the 2026 season?
Atlanta
Lost cause
dumpster fire
Last year was rough. I expect some improvement but McGee has not been as good at GSU as I originally expected.
Worthless
See ULM
Time to fold up shop
Losers as usual
Eventually they’ll have a good season, not this year though.
The school is very solid academically but that has nothing to do with the gridiron. It makes sense that they moved to FBS but the expectations were low and still are low for a reason. No history, no fanbase, no winning culture. They should continue emphasizing basketball and they’ll be alright.
Will be the worst team in the east again
Will they ever be good again? They have a coach who can recruit… but dang he cannot get them over the winning hump. They desperately need some major success there. I think if they can somehow have a stellar, mega season… they could easily fill up that big stadium they have.
So many students, so little support.
I hope they take a step forward but doubt they will.
I don’t think they’ve ever had a good season. Easy pick for last in the East. They might be able to put together some decent .500 seasons if they drop to the CAA or Southland.
It seems like more and more often now the State not Southern War is a battle to avoid 7th in the East. This year may be a repeat.
Big city – not so good athletic program.
Who?
Should be FCS. The ATL market does not a decent team make
STILL BAD
Can’t be as bad again. Too much talent.
I think they stay the same as always
They are a joke. Terribly ran.
I have no thoughts on them at all
Make or Break Season for HC Dell McGee. He’s had lights out recruiting, but it hasn’t resulted in any improvement on the field. If he doesn’t get them to a bowl game he’s out…and at the moment I think he’s out.
Much like App, searching for the past
Dell ain’t it, yall.
Awful
Over 500.
The worst team in the sunbelt
More of the same. Unfortunately, this is the year that the winless streak against App comes to an end in my opinion.
Ugh
Their coach needs to be changed if no dramatic improvement.
Booooo! Booooo!
Bad, bad year
Horrible program and horrible athletic department. They waste so much money building/renovating athletic facilities and they are 90% empty on gamedays. Gross negligence.
Needs a new coach that can bring enthusiasm to GSU football fans
Another long season.
City school with much better things to do on a Saturday.
2026 will look a lot like 2025.
I’m sure that AAC invite’s coming any day now
What are your thoughts on ULM Football going into the 2026 season?
My talons have been out for over 4 hours now, should I consult a physician?
Wait til next year
basement dweller
I’ve kind of come to admire ULM’s determination to stay in FBS. They may not have a lot of fans but you can’t help but admire those they have. They do have some weapons returning on offense and the defense should be pretty good. They may be fighting for bowl eligibility this year.
Poorest team
Same ol. Win few they shouldn’t but not get much traction.
Sadness taking over
Low
2-10
I think they will have a great attendance with the Tech game and half the stadium will be Tech fans.
They’ll be near the bottom per usual. They’re still the only school in the conference that I want to disassociate from due to their likeness to FCS and/or D2 schools. The only school I’m embarrassed to tell people we’re playing them in conference when the game comes up…proud to talk about the rest of the conference members, just not ULM. Please go away.
Will be the worst of the Louisiana teams this year
They will have losing season… again. They may never get over the hump. There is too much going against them to be a successful football program in the SBC, much less compete for an SBC title. They just sort of exist.
Now or never
Bowl eligibility would be a miracle for them, I wish they could build something but as FBS football gets more and more focused on $ to attract players (and also keep them) they will only be more and more disadvantaged.
They should join Georgia State in FCS.
ULM is one of those teams that you feel like they could go 2-10 or 7-5 with little inbetween.
Time for a new stAte win streak
Should be FCS
They are terrible and Cumbie should be fired on the field if Louisiana Tech loses that game.
STILL BAD
Slightly better than last year
I think they stay the same
I wish they would leave.
Don’t expect much at all basically because I personally am sick and tired of believing that we will ever be competitive in football. Now our other sports I’m extremely excited to see
“With their new AD Sean Tuohy Jr. (kid brother from the Blindside) maybe they can start generating more investment now that HC Bryant Vincent doesn’t have to split his focus. But Tuohy’s mother even forgot to wish him happy birthday this year (on social media), so if she’s not paying attention…jk. Should at least be exciting to see the returning rivalry amongst the Louisiana’s.”
Sad program
Their new AD will be gone soon.
Same old same old. ULM versus Marshall should be interesting. They usually give eastern teams a fit.
ULM mentioned (That’s all they need to be)
Any year they are respectable is a good year for them.
Garbage
Middle of the pack
Probably improved but still may be in last place in west
Can’t help but pull for them. Bless their hearts!
Needs a miracle in Monroe
They do a lot with a little.
They still paly football????
It is hard to understand how they keep the program afloat. They drag the whole conference down and they should wave the white flag and drop down to FCS.
Suck
Horrible.
They shoot lame horses don’t they?
They have a good coach but unfortunately he also has the job of AD, lunch lady, bus driver, and garbage man at ULM.
They’ve been on a roll with the endorsements. Combined with Tech entering the league, are we starting to see a more energetic Warhawk fanbase? They’re probably looking at a 2-6 conference record.
This might be the first non-con of theirs I’ve seen where they don’t have two games where I’m instantly thinking “oh god they’re gonna die” so idk 12-0 seems reasonable
What are your thoughts on Louisiana Football going into the 2026 season?
I don’t recall a school by that name, could you possibly be referring to Louisiana-Lafayette?
Oline is question
Way and see
A contender for the West this year if they can get solid play at QB.
Super lame
Popular coach but the chops aren’t there
It’s time to overtake LSU
Contenders
Its ULALA, not Louisiana
The state of Louisiana has great historic football problems all around.
Of course LSU is the best but that’s obvious. Tech is definitely the most succesful public university after LSU in the state, but why ask about a whole state but not any other state on this questionaire? A bit strange, but I maybe can understand since Louisiana has more universities in the conference than any others state.
Cool brand – have always liked them. Even better now that everyone has accepted them as “Louisiana”.
I think they are the 2nd strongest Louisiana team and make a bowl
They have a chance to be pretty good with their QB’s… but Michael Desormeuax never seems to be able to deliver the finishing blows against opponents.
6-7…IYK,YK
They have been good lately and I think they’ll continue in that good not great range. Would be fun to see them have a 10+ win season.
Please don’t lose to CLT. You’re allowed to lose any other games you like, but not that one.
I have zero question about UL’s capability at the sports level, but I do question if the administration has the buy in that is necessary to win in the Sun Belt after recent decisions.
Brian Mtichell
do they have any money?
improved
I hope they lose every game.
PROBABLY COMPETE FOR THE WEST
Lunch Winfield scares me. Will probably carry them to a winning season
I think they see an uptick in
Top half team in the west
I hope ULM finally beats them since we have them at home and they probably will have a very good record since their schedule is not very good
They’ll have a revitalized season. They play easier cross divisional teams this year (Marshall/JMU 2025 v. Coastal/GaSt 2026). They should get the win at Southern Miss now that Huff is gone. Beyond that their tougher opponents are at home in their recently improved stadium. I think they contend with Troy for the Divison.
Good
Have not recovered since Napier left
A program that just seems to be going through the motions.
Meh
I think Lunch will eat the SBC’s lunch this year!
Contender
Make are break year
“Sunbelt championship or bust”
Should be a contender in the west. Kinda pulling for them. Stadium upgrades look great and the tailgating is top notch.
Needs to get back
Will win West.
gag
Probable west champ
The new stadium should bring a better environment for home games. The road games will determine their season. Can Lunchbox be a competent passer that doesn’t lose games? Louisiana could win a lot of conference games if they choose to run him a lot and pass seldom.
Will be #1
Good but not great. Will go bowling
The team is tough.
Bowl team
I picked them first in the West on an impulse, but I could be convinced they could finish as low as 6th in the West too.
ull is 11 days away from producing a nuclear weapon @IDF @BenjaminNetanyahu @POTUS
What are your thoughts on Southern Miss Football going into the 2026 season?
Mustard
Blake will bust
not great with the Blake Anderson hire
Blake Anderson has some work to do. They have a tough OOC schedule but the west is a little more wide open I believe. Don’t think they’ll get to six wins this year.
Awful
Back to trash
A team I truly wish would kick asa again
Bottom of the barrel
I love watching them lose to my college.
I hope they lose to Tech.
They’re a budding program who will have some success; potentially top three in the West.
Definitely going to take a step down this season without grafting another team on like they did last year
They’ll be interesting. I think their new HC can make them a quick winner. I actually think he’s a better HC than Huff.
They deserve everything they get
No read on them. I feel like they are a wildcard year in and year out.
I see them opening the season 1-4. After that they’ll go on a tear, but it’ll be too little too late.
I question if Blake Anderson has changed much from his last two stops. You get a feeling you’ll see a Southern Miss team that will be competitive in pretty much every game, but find excruciating ways to lose the big games.
Like the name and history
I like Blake . . . tough row to hoe
Too much turnover
Blake Anderson is going to be a great coach for them.
STRUGGLING
Taking a step back, but not the fault of Blake Anderson
I hope they improve
Glad they’re here. Bottom half program in the west performance wise. Growing pains but have a good coach
They’re going to take a hard step back to the basement of the West Division. Blake Anderson was a good coach at Arkansas State but never did anything dramatic and Huff emptied the cupboard when he went to Memphis. I don’t see them making a bowl game.
Lost
Stick to baseball.
Blake Anderson can win with the players he inherits. The problem is Will Hall didn’t leave him anything.
Shout out Ben Ogden
I think they will be as bad as they have ever been this year. Don’t hire transactional coaches!
Contender
No telling
Probably last place
Intrigue… A good Southern Miss is good for the Sunbelt though.
Enigma – Coach Anderson will get Eagles back on a bowl streak…maybe just not in year one
Rebuilding year.
Wahoo!
Tough year. 2 – 3 wins, more possible.
I’m sure they’ll be watching Memphis to see how Huff and his players perform. You live by the transfer portal, you die by the transfer portal. Heir fans thought it was funny that they raped Marshall’s team last year. How feel now? Back to the basement for Southern Miss
Struggling
Full rebuild, they’re offense will be ahead of schedule but defense will take another offseason to work on.
Don’t understand why SoMiss FB has struggled in recent years. Nice stadium. Glad they’re in the SBC.
Likely a down year as they get their feet under themselves. 4-8
To the bottom, just above ULM in the West.
Southern Miss Goose is the best Sun Belt account on Twitter
What are your thoughts on South Alabama Football going into the 2026 season?
Good team
Applewhite is on fire from the hot seat
Major Disappointment as HC
OOC is pretty hard and I don’t see a lot of Sun Belt wins.
Completely irrelevant
No idea. Like the Coastal of the west, they are volatile. Up one game down the next.
Please please fix that logo
Middle of road
Whup South.
I hope they lose to Tech.
Good school in a nice location. The newer stadium was a great addition to solidify their D1 persona. Appreciate them as conference mates.
I think they will be bad, but still a step up from ulm
South Alabama is just South Alabama. They’ll either be bad or average.
Always good on paper…so is a dog being house broken.
They’ll probably go 3-9 to 7-5, that feels like what they almost always do.
I’m never sure what to think about South Alabama. Every now and again they look like they could beat anyone in the West, but then they lay an egg the next week. Can they find some consistency in 2026?
I miss Ladd Peebles Stadium said no one ever
Stuck with Major
tough and competitive
MIDDLING WESTERN TEAM?
Improved across the board, but to what level?
I don’t know much about them
Average team in the west. Not the best, not the worst.
Probably middle of west
Tough road Non-Conference schedule, cross divisional at Marshall and against App St. They probably fall short of bowl eligibility again this year. Without it Coach Applewhite may be on his way out.
Good
Paper potential
Major Applewhite may be unmatched in his mediocrity in the Sun Belt.
Meh
Time for them to make a move in the West Dividity
Meh
Let down
Nice young talent they seem to be stealing from our state, lol
Always seem to be a dark horse in the west but they just can’t get over the hump. They’ll win a few games they shouldn’t, but they’ll lose a couple as well.
Will be 6-6.
ack
middle of the West
Another afterthought in the middle of SEC territory. They can rack up some wins due to the weak Sun Belt schedule. 7-5
Average
Coach doesn’t have the juice, they might go bowling. Not optimistic.
Wish Applegate could play QB.
May be a down year. 5-7
South was gutted last year by the Portal following spring training. With the portal rule changes they fared much better this season, but is it enough to go bowling?
Major Applewhite will be Houston’s head coach next year god willing
What are your thoughts on Appalachian State Football going into the 2026 season?
Pretty decent
Appa who?
Loggains is in over his head
I believe App St. made a bad hire at HC. Loggins has made an effort (on paper) to address the defense so we’ll see if I’m wrong. I’m thinking 6-6 is about where they’ll land.
Need to get back
Middle of the pack.
Love these hillbillies and wish they had a better coach
Who the hell knows
7-5
Amazing how far they have fallen. Similar to their peers, Georgia Southern, App State is slowly becoming irrelevant on the national scale but what is amazing is their fanbase doesn’t seem to notice and continue to drive the program forward.
Will take a slight step up to 7-5 or 8-4, but doesn’t beat JMU which locks them out of the division
Where did App State go? It always seemed like it was App State, Troy, JMU, Louisiana, and Coastal’s world and everyone else just lived in it. Now, I think it’s almost time to lump App State in with the “everyone else.”
Looking for that old swagger
I’ve been surprised they’ve been struggling the past few years, expect them to turn it around eventually but not sure if it will be this season. Fans too often only care about the results of the past couple years. Tulane has been a historically terrible program, but after a good few years they’re god’s gift to Earth in the eyes of many. Those same people will clown on App and pretend they didn’t when the Mountaineers are back. I don’t think that will be this year, but they’ll be in the conversation late into the season.
Logains is an excellent X’s and O’s coach. I have questions about how he can recruit.
Every year I expect them to bounce back, but they haven’t lately.
What went wrong?
Not stellar but will probably upset JMU
It would be good for the conference if they got back on track
SHOULD BE IMPROVED BUT NOT COMPETING FOR A TITLE
Wildly unpredictable after the roster turnover and the jury still out on the coach
I think they repeat last year
They will be slightly better than last season, but won’t win the east.
Always a tough team
“Coach Loggains was hired 2 days before the Transfer Portal opened his first season. With Coach Clark’s firing he inherited a roster that lost most of its starters and coaching staff. He had to cobble together a team on the fly just to be able to have App State take the field. Even with that there were a lot of close games (5 games decided by 12 points total, 7 games within a single possession that App went 3-4 on), if they swung the other way, App would have had an entirely different season. I view this as Coach Loggains first real season. He had the time an ability to recruit the 2nd best G6 class, #67 (“”Six-Seven””) Overall, and the best class in the SBC by a fairly sizable margin. He also was able to put in his own coaching staff. His big problem, and JMU Coach Napier mentioned it’s his as well, is delegation. So we’ll see if that’s his limiting factor. Like JMU to many unknowns to say App State will do well this season, but there are reasons to hope Coach Loggains gets them back to their winning ways.”
Suck
Searching for the past
Loggains culture is to soft, and his teams make too many mistakes. App fans will find out you can’t buy a title.
Strap in it’s gonna be a wild ride, We are either winning 8 or 4 games no inbetween
Their shine is starting to fade.
Hate hate hate
Strong showing
What has happened to this program
I expect to at least see improvement but I’m also prepared for disappointment.
Average year.
Better than last year
If they don’t have a winning record, the coach will be fired after year 2. They fired a fairly decent coach and brought in a guy who made the program even worse. The angry mob will not allow 2 straight years of embarrassment in a program that once was the flagship of the Sun Belt.
Good
They’ll be better than last year, but not by much. 6 wins maybe
How the mighty have fallen. Will this be the year App returns to glory?
Awww…no.
After 3 bad years, they are finally believing Troy, Arkansas State, Louisiana when we talked about the ebb and flow of G6 teams. They’re in a lull right now. They will bounce back at some point. Not likely this year.
They will once again a middle of the pack team, which will not people in Boone very happy.
Two five win seasons in a row now, one more and you’re gonna have to throw Yosef off the side of Mount Mitchell to repent for whatever y’all did to upset the gods
What are your thoughts on Troy Football going into the 2026 season?
They’ll wrap up this conference
Over hyped
Probably the best in a weak West
New Offensive Coordinator and a great defense probably means at pretty good season for Troy. One of the top teams in the West.
Hope Troy is back
Best stadium deserves a better team
Crazy good
Cautiously optimistic. 10-2
I hope they lose Tech.
Cream of the crop on a dime store budget. I enjoy them as conference mates.
I think they have a stronger year than before and dominate on the way to a championship
Hard to doubt their consistency. They’re historically the best football program in the SBC and they’re a known brand.
Could be solid
I think they will be one of the best in the Belt.
I have them winning the West again. And losing in the championship, again.
Troy was probably better than their record last year, they had some confusing losses but ultimately won because the West was bad. I don’t know if they’ll be able to get away with that this year.
Another solid year
Should be good.
Strong
SHOULD COMPETE FOR THE WEST
Will be outstanding on special teams again, good on defense and a complete mystery on offense.
I think they win the West
Truly respectable program with how they perform with such a low budget.
Always tough and think will win west
Favorites to win the West Division and return to the Championship. Not sold on them winning yet though. Too much ambiguity in the East.
Solid
Should win it all, might not drop a conference game if healthy.
It’s low-key embarrassing how much better the east teams were than the west champ.
Best of the west
Solid. Just solid.
Solid
Strong season coming up short
Definitely in contention
They’ll be a contender in the west.
Always tough
Coach will be gone if less than 8 wins.
blah
contender, probably 2nd place in the West
“Solid program even through coaching changes. However, they are an afterthought in the middle of SEC territory and won’t ever get good enough to hit the national radar.”
Not bad
Will compete for Sunbelt west. Need to improve and build depth at offensive line from last season. That was getting hard to watch near the end of the season.
Overrated, but may still emerge as West Champ.
Borderline bowl team.
Troy overachieved last year. I think Troy is still good, but I think they’ll take a step back this year.
I will not be sympathetic to them or their city no matter how much propaganda Christopher Nolan tries to throw at me
What are your thoughts on Arkansas State Football going into the 2026 season?
Not bad
Rebuild
Do or die season
Aren’t they always supposed to be 6-6?
No one cares
Coach makes them a non-factor
Butch has 9 lives somehow
Sleeper
6-6
I hope they lose to Tech.
Legacy Sun Belt program with a lot of history in the conference. They’re fortunate to only have one other FBS school in their state…jealous of that advantage.
I think they stay about the same as they were last year, and barely squeak out a bowl berth
I know Butch Jones is a great coach. I know ASU can get some good recruits. I’d like to see ASU get back to where they were a decade ago, consistently winning and competing for SBC titles.
The fighting Joneses
They’ll be alright, if things break their way could make a run at the West.
Their logo is neat.
Difficult time for Arkansas State. Caught in some bad scheduling contracts and with a coach who isn’t exactly a coach for the NIL era. One has to wonder if the school might be right to funnel incoming money to basketball and baseball and try to become the next Texas State, an All Sports champ who is kind of meh at football.
eff Butch Jones – he’s an annoying idiot.
better than last year
NOT SURE
With Raynor and Rucker, they will regress.
I hope they improve
Top half program in the west but not the best.
Going to be good even though their fans don’t like Butch Jones which I don’t understand
Another Bowl Eligible Season, but nothing much beyond. 6-8 wins.
Good
A true unknown. Underperforms.
Butch should of bent sent packing after 2024. What are they doing. Champion of life Butch Jones gets fired
Really disappointed in what Butch has accomplished there
Strong season are bust
Exciting offensive
They’ll be bowl eligible but I anticipate this will be Butch Jones last season at A-State.
Could be really good
Will be a down year.
Booooo!
The fighting Butch Jones’s fail miserably causing the coaches seat to warm significantly
Butch Jones hasn’t earned his salary. If he hasn’t done it by now, it isn’t going to happen. They should cut ties and find another coach who can coach up players because you aren’t going to ever win the recruiting battle in Jonesboro.
Better
Need the new QB and Defense to mesh with the rest of the team quickly. Depending on, how fast that goes determines if they win Sunbelt West or not.
When is the team going to live up to its potential? Like the waterfall in the stadium.
Will challenge for a Western championship but likely won’t make it until Butch Jones is gone.
They took two steps forward in 2025. By Paula Abdul’s logic it means they’ll be taking two steps back this season since opposites attract.
Butch Jones will finally achieve his lifelong dream of converting his head into a nice ripe beefsteak tomato
What are your thoughts on Old Dominion Football going into the 2026 season?
Ol Dirty
Underrated
Waiting to see how they’ll truly look offensively after all the transfers and losing their OC
The team to beat in the East. JMU gets all the love but I think ODU is the top dog (cat?).
Declining
May beat everyone…but Marshall
Nor drink nor smoke…no quitting guys
Overrated
Probably gonna be good.
They finally will play in Ruston. We owe them a loss on the schedule.
Solid school – not as well known nationally but never embarrassed to tell someone we’re playing Old Dominion.
Probably going to regress to 6-6
They’re hard to predict. They have a football program that can be really good, but can also be kind of bad. It’s weird.
Can’t figure them out.
I think they’ll be the 2nd best team in the East behind JMU. If they can keep building over the past couple of years they could be a real threat to win the whole conference.
I have them finishing second in the East. Maybe three or four losses on the year, and unlike last year, two of them won’t be blowouts.
I think this may be a slight step back for ODU, but they have surprised me before.
Will be solid, but interesting to see if they can put a second consecutive very good year like last yeat.
On Wisconsin
strong AF. Hate them
SHOULD COMPETE FOR THE EAST
Raine is a good coach, so they’ll be OK despite their personnel losses.
I think this year they turn it around
They are good. More money and better ran program.
Getting better and better every year
Have to pick them for returning experience and coaching staff and the depleted East Division experience. Its between them and Marshall and if ODU doesn’t do it this year, I have to start thinking that the school begins deciding if they’re happy where they’re at, or want to invest and win Championships.
Solid
An enigma
Can Rahne win without the best QB in the conference?
A substantial step backwards
Still don’t have the answers to get over the hump
Will be our toughest game
Almost there
Rebuilding some but still contending
No strong opinion. Could possibly be a contender in the east or just remain average.
Wish they were as good as those soft blue uniforms
Will be tough.
erm
50/50. probably middle division
Administration is a laughingstock. Their coach never had a winning season and he had his first last year so they give him an extension. Haha. They should be so much better than the 25-33 record he has against FBS competition. Coaching matters
Good
Probably one of the better teams in Sunbelt East
Happy they have VT’s number. Great ’25 season. Can’t hold onto players. University and program suffering identity problems.
Have the talent to challenge for the title.
I predict they’ll be 3rd in the East. It’s tough to maintain momentum at this level.
Losing Colton Joseph to Wisconsin has to feel brutal knowing he’s leaving your school for the collegiate Cleveland Browns of quarterback development
What are your thoughts on Coastal Carolina Football going into the 2026 season?
Good team
Dougie Howser has taken over cfb
curious to see Ryan Beard
I can’t get a good read on them but I expect them to be fighting for bowl eligibility again this season.
Terrible
No way to know. Too volatile
Long climb out of a hole has started
Beach chickens can choke on it
Are they still playing football?
They are better than they appear every year. McCall and Co. created a nice foundation for the program and they have continued to do well.
I think they do decent and get a bowl berth
I think they have a chance to be a dark horse team.
Best days are long past
They’ll be much more competitive than last year but they have a brutal schedule. Think they’ll win 5 to 7 games but the team overall will be better then the 6-7 team from last year.
I don’t really think about Coastal very often. They’ll probably be in the title hunt again before losing by 50 to JMU like every year.
I keep waiting for CCU to hit a downturn, but they haven’t yet.
Expecting around 50-50
Whatever
Meh
They aren’t what they used to be.
MID-BOTTOM EAST TEAM
Much improved
I think they are middle of the pack SBC East
Of a bad program or team. Not top half though.
Iffy
The fact they hired an up and coming coach I think helps them. I see them getting to bowl eligibility and possibly shaking up the East Division. Could be a surprise contender, but again likely just a bowl game season.
Lost
Should get booted from SBC for ugly uniforms
With Texas State gone, it’s the only Sun Belt team to make a smart hire. If you want to make money bet the over on their wins.
Please let them suck 🙏
I don’t like the coaching hire. I think their program will fall back from here.
Honestly, could be good or terrible. Not sure
WIN Baseball
Good new coach but will take some time
Disdain. It’s a real shame that App is currently riding a four game losing streak against the beach chickens.
Their grass sucks
Will go 6-6
ehh.
Mediocre. Sun Belt meh team.
Suck
Rebuild. Maybe squeak out 4 or 5 wins.
Weak sisters. Maybe the new coach can help, but I doubt it.
Downhill trajectory
I’m not looking for a strong season from the Chants. They’ll be better than Georgia State but will battle it out with Georgia Southern for 5th in the East.
Still don’t know why they thought hiring Tim Beck would work out for them
What are your thoughts on Louisiana Tech Football going into the 2026 season?
They’ll be barking up the wrong tree
Their elite mentality is in for a rude awakening
Waiting to see how they truly matchup with a full SBC schedule
They probably will be pretty good. Didn’t follow CUSA so I have no idea if they compete year one or not.
Lame
Win, lose, or draw, there will be whining and lots of it.
That blasphemous AD should be on every halftime Jumbotron
Impressive
Welcome, enjoy going 3-9.
The coach is too undpredictable to really know what will happen for the season record. I think the attendance will be better in the beginning but it can dive quickly if it’s a bad season, especially if we lose to ULM or ULL.
LA Tech was my replacement choice for ULM which would have created a really clean looking conference. Unfortunately, TXST left us and we are still stuck with ULM. Man I want ULM gone.
I think they have a strong first year and compete for the west
I hope they are good and not bad. They’ve historically had a strong football program. Don’t get into the SBC and start letting the football program go to trash. I don’t think they will, but you never know.
Depends…
Excited for them to join, think they are a great cultural fit, I think they’ll be middle to back half of the pack in the SBC this year. Excited for LA Tech for baseball season.
I know practically nothing about them. I like how rowdy their fans are and how much their presence alone ruffles so many feathers. Should be fun to watch in the West.
Tech fits the Sun Belt West like a glove, but I have concerns about how competitive they will be. Do they have the money necessary to win in football?
I love crawfish
welcome back, [curse word]
Wish they were not in the SBC, but they will go to a bowl
The end of the Cumbie era.
NO CLUE
Solid, but not winning the division
I think they win 8
Better than ULM. Did t really want them though. Would have preferred a school outside a state that we currently have 2 schools.
Think will be more competitive than what most think even though coming from a poor CUSA
Middling. They will have the excitement of a new conference, renewed rivalries, but I think the competition level keeps them from winning the division or championship game. Could make it to bowl eligibility and lay the foundation to become a West Division power.
Ugh
Biggest mistake the commissioner has made…to date.
Not a great team but the west is so bad that they could win it this year.
They will be decent
Still don’t know why we added them.
Garbage
Happy they join us
Could be the sleeper
Intrigue. All for the increased hate in the west though.
Wait and see
Will be more competitive than most think.
ick
middle of the West
Poor add by the conference. They bring nothing to the table and only interact ULL and ULM.
Suck
Will go bowling, probably.
LT fans will be disappointed.
Welcome to a real conference. They’ll be pumped up for this year.
Borderline bowl team.
They have the most experience of any team in the West (maybe the Sun Belt) coming into this season, but I don’t know what that means anymore.
God willing they will recreate General Sherman’s March to the Sea through Lafayette, Louisiana
What are your thoughts on Georgia Southern Football going into the 2026 season?
Mosquitos
Drowning in eagle creek
Deep-breath; ready to either see Helton turn the corner or gone
Helton is all smoke and mirrors. GS finally has a quality DC just in time for a complete offensive rebuild. Helton may not last the season unless he can get the offense up to speed. I think the defense takes a pretty big step forward but they have nowhere to go but up.
2nd or 3rd East. They’ve been good but can’t seem to close on the division.
Helton is gonna have a year
Swamp ass
I hope they will be competitive, but I doubt it.
I hope they lose to Tech.
Zero expectations as long as Helton is at the helm. The once powerful program has been pushed into the mud ever since the Tyson Summers hiring and continues to wither into irrelevance.
I think they have much improved qb play, but they lose to App, the only game on their schedule that matters
They’re not who they used to be. It’s time for them to step up and become a big dog again. Everybody knows they got it.
Getting better
I think they’ll go 5-7 to 7-5. Feels like a high floor low ceiling team under Helton.
Do they still have that USC guy as their coach?
You keep waiting for Georgia Southern to show the program many thought they would be when they joined the Sun Belt, but every year you begin to wonder if they can actually compete in football at this level.
Use to be very good in football
2014 was a long time ago
Always that bs GATA, competitive
Are they still running the triple option?
DIGGING A CRAWL SPACE UNDER THEIR ALL TIME LOW
Meh
I think the maintain from last year
Won’t do anything substantial this year. Either Helton performs well enough to earn another year of mediocre performances or he gets fired. I hope we move away from this offense.
I have no thoughts on them
“Georgia Southern can’t fire their coach since they’ve been reupping him after every season. So he essentially has a fresh contract and full buy out. With Helton being in his 4th season the goal has to be a Championship appearance at least, and I doubt they get it. I just wish App State didn’t play them on Halloween again this year.”
Should win 10 games… make Sun Belt Championship
Better days ahead, maybe.
Always a dangerous team for anyone.
MID MID MID MID MID MID
This is their year to make some noise, or they need to make some changes.
This is our year. If we can’t win, it’s over for Clay Helton at Southern.
Under 500 coach gone
Will barley reach bowl eligibility.
We are better when they are better
ALways tough
eh
Tough year. 3 wins
Clay Helton seems like he does just enough to avoid getting fired. His record does not match what his salary says it should be. I guess the Eagles are scared they can’t hire anyone better.
Better
Good but not great. Will go bowling
Sneaky good. Great fans. Proud program. Current coach doesn’t get enough credit.
Treading water
I don’t have high hopes for a good finish so long as Coach Helton is there.
Did you know? Clay Helton and Butch Jones have had identical finishes since 2022. Which…yeah that absolutely tracks
pipedreams 
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