Sun Belt Announces 2024 Football Cross-Divisional Opponents

NEW ORLEANS — The Sun Belt Conference announced the cross-divisional opponents for the 2024 football season on Thursday.

The Sun Belt is coming off a 2023 campaign in which it defeated a conference-record four autonomy five programs, hosted ESPN’s College GameDay for a second-straight season and produced a conference-record and FBS-leading 12 Bowl Season participants.

Each of the conference’s 14 programs plays one home game and one away game against a cross-divisional foe each season—and will play every team in the opposite division at least once every four years. In addition to the two cross-divisional matchups, Sun Belt members play six divisional games annually, fostering regional rivalries amongst divisional foes.

With 14 member institutions in 10 contiguous states, the Sun Belt is committed to its identity as a regional conference with a divisional model.

The complete 2024 Sun Belt football schedule, including play dates, will be released by no later than March 1, 2024.

https://sunbeltsports.org/news/2024/1/4/...nents.aspx

Excited to play ODU for the first time. See you Panthers in SM as well.

Wait, why are we playing ODU again when we just played them in 2022? Or is the Conference office now just turning the joke about how we never get to play App into a meme?

Time to start building beef with Texas State and Arky State. 2000 Miles of Mild Discontent 2.0, lets go!!

Also, UL vs Coastal AND App this year? Mod Staff already dreading those weekends.

(01-04-2024 11:07 AM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Wait, why are we playing ODU again when we just played them in 2022? Or is the Conference office now just turning the joke about how we never get to play App into a meme?

Maybe the Monarchs/Red Wolves have become designated cross division rivals

Once again the Sun Belt is determined to make sure App State and Arkansas State play as little as possible.

So excited to get Marshall at home again. Love our brothers!
And excited for a chance to visit JMU. I admire what both these programs bring to our conference!

I was hoping to avoid USA, worst matchup for App.

JMU and Marshall get the easiest schedule in the east and Ark St. and Texas St. take those honors for the west.

App/Ark. St. will never happen again.

With 12 of 14 teams making bowls this past year most teams get a bowl eligible team as a cross division game. Somehow Marshall and JMU get both of the non-bowl teams as cross division games.

I don't get it, we still haven't played both USM & stAte since the expansion took place.....why are we playing USA again instead of one of those 2 schools 1st?

(01-04-2024 11:12 AM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  

(01-04-2024 11:07 AM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Wait, why are we playing ODU again when we just played them in 2022? Or is the Conference office now just turning the joke about how we never get to play App into a meme?

Maybe the Monarchs/Red Wolves have become designated cross division rivals

Lol. There's no cross divisional protection. The only East Teams we haven't seen to this point were App/GSU/GS. We got GSU as expected, but somehow instead of getting one of the other two, we get ODU again, which stinks because we've not had enough time to build up any history with you guys to draw fan interest in.

(01-04-2024 11:26 AM)GS99-00 Wrote:  I don't get it, we still haven't played both USM & stAte since the expansion took place.....why are we playing USA again instead of one of those 2 schools 1st?

Not sure. At least with you guys we played practically every year pre split, so its not crucial that we miss you an extra year, but we've played App State 4 times since they joined the conference over a decade ago. Considering the first 7 years of that you played all but one Cross Division opponent, that makes no sense.

TXST should have gotten Marshall along with ODU, as those teams we have never faced.

Nothing against playing GSU, but we just played them in 2021.

Man really wanted Marshall and App, the 2 biggest east brands. I’ll take the free pass on JMU and App though if it better facilitates a 10+ season. Don’t like the GSU and ODU mystery boxes though because you never know what you’re going to get there.

(01-04-2024 11:27 AM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(01-04-2024 11:12 AM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  

(01-04-2024 11:07 AM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Wait, why are we playing ODU again when we just played them in 2022? Or is the Conference office now just turning the joke about how we never get to play App into a meme?

Maybe the Monarchs/Red Wolves have become designated cross division rivals

Lol. There's no cross divisional protection. The only East Teams we haven't seen to this point were App/GSU/GS. We got GSU as expected, but somehow instead of getting one of the other two, we get ODU again, which stinks because we've not had enough time to build up any history with you guys to draw fan interest in.

Maybe the front office sees the potential there tho! That's why we've been made permanent cross division rivals, so that we could have the chance to build up some history and draw more fans into Jonesboro.

Love to be hooking up with App. and Coastal! Very excited!

Tough draws for a GS program that always has sky high expectations. Vs Troy @ USA, ouch.

Overall, west members drew more manageable east opponents than vice versa on paper at least in the now.

If my understanding is correct, everyone is paired with one team from the other division to face twice in the 4-year cycle. Looks like Georgia Southern and South Alabama are one of those pairs. That looks like the only matchup that has already been played in the "Sun Belt 3.0" era.

That means our cross-division opponents for 2025 will be Ark State and Southern Miss.

Newcomers:

Marshall still owes TXST both a home and away.
JMU still owes TXST a visit to Texas.
ODU still owes a visit to Texas

Been too long…
CCU hasn’t played in San Marcos since 2020.
TXST hasn’t played in Boone since 2019.