Bound to ruffle some feathers...
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82. Georgia Southern
- There is little room between the top-ranked team in the Sun Belt, and the bottom half. In fact, No. 1 Georgia Southern would be just a 0.06-point favorite over rivals No. 6 Appalachian State on the road Oct. 31, according to CFB Winning Edge 2019 FBS Preseason Projections. Led by quarterback Shai Werts and three All-Conference defenders (including the top cornerback duo among all G5 programs), the Eagles are the top-ranked team in the league, but the margins are razor-thin. Southern plays six games in which it has between a 45 percent and 66 percent chance of winning.
86. Louisiana
- Louisiana made a surprise run to the Sun Belt Championship Game in Billy Napier’s first season, and enough talent returns to make the Ragin’ Cajuns the favorite to represent the West division again in 2019. Offensively, running back duo Trey Ragas and Elijah Mitchell is arguably the best in the conference, and they will run behind an offensive line that returns five starters, all of whom are seniors. Both units rank second in the Sun Belt and among the Top 50 nationally.
87. Troy
- Quarterback Kaleb Barker is back from injury and B.J. Smith is one of the best running backs in the Sun Belt. That talented duo, along with an offensive line led by All-Conference performer Kirk Kelley and three other returning starters, should give new head coach (and former Auburn offensive coordinator) Chip Lindsey a solid foundation to work with offensively. However, the top three wide receivers are gone from last year’s 10-win team.
92. Arkansas State
- Arkansas State returns two All-Conference performers on the defensive line in William Bradley-King and Forrest Merrill, and another in the secondary in Jerry Jacobs. Not surprisingly, the Red Wolves rank No. 1 in the Sun Belt in defensive Roster Strength. The offense, which must replace the school’s second all-time leading passer, also returns the No. 1 receiving unit in the conference, highlighted by another All-SBC performer, Kirk Merritt.
96. ULM
- ULM ranks No. 1 in the Sun Belt and No. 42 overall in O-Line Strength. Even better, the Warhawks welcome back all five starters from last year’s unit, who will block for arguably the No. 1 quarterback in the conference in Caleb Evans.
Evans lost three of his four favorite targets from last year, including R.J. Turner, who transferred to Texas Tech. The Warhawks must also find a top ball carrier, and replace their top two tacklers, including linebacker David Griffith, who led the team in tackles, sacks and tackles for loss.
99. App State
- Our Appalachian State projection is likely to raise quite a few eyebrows. After all, the Mountaineers were 11-2 last season, won the inaugural Sun Belt Conference Championship Game, and haven’t lost more than one conference game since 2013. Oh, and 10 starters return on offense, including All-Conference quarterback Zac Thomas, running back Darrynton Evans and center Noah Hannon.
App State ranks highly in several categories, including No. 1 overall offensively in the Sun Belt in Roster Strength (No. 70 nationally). However, the transition from Scott Satterfield (83.09 Head Coach rating, No. 50) to Eli Drinkwitz (73.37, No. 108) is a big downgrade on paper.
114. Texas State
- Texas State made one of the most intriguing coaching hires of the offseason by tabbing West Virginia offensive coordinator Jake Spavital to lead the Bobcats program. Spavital then made one of the more interesting offensive coordinator hires of the coaching carousel, adding former Montana head coach Bob Still to call plays.
However, it’s defensive coordinator Zac Spavital who has the most talent to work with, including senior Bryan London II, who was one of our top 100 players for the 2019 college football season. London leads a linebacker corps that ranks No. 30 overall and first in the Sun Belt in Roster Strength.
118. South Alabama
- There are just two players from Sun Belt Conference teams with a 100 rating according to the VGR+ formula, and South Alabama has one in defensive back Jalen Thompson. The Jags also boast a 93.5-rated defensive end in Tyree Turner. Running back Tra Minter (89.2) ran for 801 yards, gained 201 receiving yards and added 801 return yards in Year 1 of the Steve Campbell era.
125. Georgia State
- The Panthers ranked 129th in yards per play (7.73) and No. 125 in total defense (489.5) in 2018. The unit should improve, and linebacker Ed Curney and nose guard Dontae Wilson are building blocks. Quarterback Dan Ellington is a dangerous runner, and receiver Cornelius McCoy should step up to be Ellington’s top target following the departure of Penny Hart. The left side of the offensive line – tackle Hunter Atkinson and guard Quion Gilmore, who have combined to make 59 starts – are one of the best combos in the conference.
128. Coastal Carolina
- Coastal Carolina played its first FBS schedule in 2018, so it should be no surprise the Chanticleers rank No. 130 in overall Roster Strength. Running back C.J. Marable and defensive end Tarron Jackson are All-Sun Belt Conference candidates. Several transfers from big-time programs, including receiver Samuel Denmark (Virginia Tech) and former Clemson defensive lineman Sterling Johnson, should keep Jamey Chadwell’s squad competitive in league play.
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Fansided’s Hilariously Off 2019 Preseason Rankings
