Sun Belt Conference football season is coming to an end with
just two weeks left, who will carry the crown of conference champs back home
with them?
New comer South Alabama came in with a bang, surprising many
that they too can hang on to the big boys and their conference members. The Jaguars also have given their conference foes
a tough time on the field with no easy wins. They had to earn it.
North Texas and FIU didn't do any better than the last
season, in fact FIU panthers did worse to be the pre-season favorite to win the
conference after they are schedule to depart the conference along with North
Texas to C-USA. It wasn’t what the
Golden Panthers was looking for this season, and the Mean Green of North Texas
was looking for a bowl season this year.
Western Kentucky started the season on a positive note and a
scared one for other conference foes as if they were the team to beat early on.
Now that the Hilltoppers have lost their last two games, their title hopes have faded and now they have to
try and get a bowl bid, something they was overlooked for last season. With
another winning season Coach Willie Taggert and his team have nothing to hold
their heads down for? The Hilltoppers
defeated (SEC) Kentucky and gave No. 1 (SEC) Alabama some problems on the
field.
UL-Monroe falls on my #1 Most Improved Sun Belt Conference
team, coming from seasons of losing records to a season of top ten defeats and
conference title run. Coach Berry and his staff have really turned some heads
with the work in his program. This team is a team to be proud of. They knocked off No. 6 (SEC) Arkansas in their
first game of the season, and then turn around and nearly defeated (SEC) Auburn
in overtime. When they came back home to face (BIG 12) Baylor, they nearly
defeated them as well in a close game. QB Browning really has showed his
ability and talent with the help of his team mates to turn that program around.
FAU has gotten them two conference wins so far this season
to put them at (3) wins thus far, and with a new staff and head coach Carl
Pelini, the OWLS are making some noise. They may not be bowl eligible or have a
winning season, but the OWL S have fought hard this season, and I expect them
to improve in the near future and come back to the top and be bowl eligible in the
future.
UL-Lafayette is another great program and has come off to a
great start in hopes of doing better or repeating the season of last year. They
have fallen short of couple games but still have some favor of making it to
bowl eligibility. The Ragin Cajuns nearly defeated (SEC) No. 6 Florida a couple
weeks ago.
Troy improved their second from last year, they showed their
conference new comer South Alabama, which will be their new in-state conference
rival that they are strong and some to be deal with. The Trojans went to (SEC)
Tennessee and almost upset them, and defeated soon to be (BIG EAST) member
Navy. They too still have a chance to
get to six wins to make it to bowl eligibility.
Arkansas State and their new head coach Gus Malzahn have
really held on to what they have and be to in the running for the conference
title once again for the second straight year. Many thought it would have been
tough for Coach Malzahn in his first year as head coach, but he has proven many
to be wrong.
Middle Tennessee has stepped back into the title hunt; they
have been running the table on their conference foes. It is my projection that Middle Tennessee
Blue Raiders and Arkansas State Red Wolves contend for the conference title, if
these two teams don’t lose in the two final games. Middle Tennessee also
defeated a BCS member Georgia Tech.
This has been an impressive season for the Sun Belt
Conference and their members. Many teams
have improved and it has translated on the field with big wins and being tough
players. This is the conference that I
envision for the South, a conference that is second to the SEC with tough games
and tough players. This season the Sun Belt Conference has really shown that
they are moving on up and if you are on their schedule in the near future, then
you need to be ready for a tough battle.
Texas State is preparing to enter the Sun Belt Conference
they too are a solid program with a great coach. This team with three wins for
the season so far has defeated in-state foe Houston, and there goes Georgia
Sate in Atlanta. This team has built a great program under the legendary Coach
Bill Curry who has retired from the Panthers. Now that the Panthers is
searching for a new coach, we all hope that it will be someone to carry on the momentum
of this new football program as we welcome them into the Sun Belt Conference.
Week 11 Scores:
On Friday FIU travel up to FAU and defeated the OWLS to get
their second conference win of the season, and stack up on their already poor
season that so many had hoped to be a positive one. Now that the season is over, Florida
International have no chance of winning the conference crown before they depart
for C-USA. FIU 34 FAU 24
Middle Tennessee one of the conference crown contenders
traveled to Mobile, Alabama to take on the Sun Belt Conference new comer in
football South Alabama. The Blue Raiders held off the Jaguars in a close game
to remain in the crown hunt.
Middle Tennessee 20- South Ala 12
Arkansas State is that team that keeps on running. The Red
Wolves defeated the Troy Trojans in Troy. Arkansas State is also in the hunt
for the conference title for the second time in a row.
Arkansas State 41 – Troy 34
North Texas just can’t get to games to reach it to a bowl.
UL-Monroe improved their record for the season to get to a bowl for the first
time. They held on the Mean Green of North Texas.
North Texas 16 – ULM 42
Western Kentucky let another game go on the road this time
to UL-Lafayette. The Ragin Cajuns held here grown at home to defeat the
Hilltoppers. West Kentucky 27 – ULL 31
