Why Your Favorite Sun Belt Team Will and Won't Make a College Football Playoff Run
We are under two weeks away from the beginning of the 2017 college football season, and it's the best time of the year outside of the actual season for every team. Everyone is undefeated, and there is a lot of hope within each fan base that this year is their team's year. Today, we start a series that highlights why your favorite team will and won't make a College Football Playoff run. This series is not a predictor of who will make the playoff, but rather explain why each team has a chance of making a playoff run while also keeping realistic expectations by explaining why a postseason tournament isn't happening. As you'll see within each conference, some teams just don't have a chance, but we still tried to find something positive about the team.
First, the Sun Belt. While it will be extremely hard for any Sun Belt team to make a run, we can still hope and create some more excitement. If you had to pick two teams to keep an eye on, Appalachian State and Troy would be teams to watch, but they need a lot of help outside of going undefeated to make a run.
COASTAL CAROLINA CHANTICLEERS
WILL: It’s Year 1 as an FBS team, so the surprise factor is definitely up there.
WON’T: It’s still not even close to high enough, and the Chanticleers might get knocked around in 2017.
GEORGIA SOUTHERN EAGLES
WILL: Alabama coach Nick Saban still has nightmares about facing the triple option that Georgia Southern ran.
WON’T: It’s not the worst kind of nightmare because the Tide still won, and the Eagles aren’t even close to that level this year.
ARKANSAS STATE
WILL: Arkansas State finally found a coach that stuck around for more than a year! The Red Wolves should get back to competing for the conference title.
WON’T: A conference title is the ceiling.
SOUTH ALABAMA JAGUARS
WILL: Gerald Everett was at least fun to watch last year. The win over Mississippi State was definitely the stunner of the year in college football.
WON’T: You beat Mississippi State and San Diego State but struggle to beat Nicholls State? That’s not going to get you far.
GEORGIA STATE PANTHERS
WILL: The former Turner Field is starting to look really nice, and quarterback Conner Manning will be fun to watch.
WON’T: Like the MLB Braves before them, the Panthers might not do a lot of winning this season.
NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES
WILL: After considering a drop to FCS, the Aggies decided to stay at the FBS level for the time-being. Running back Larry Rose III is one of the most underrated college football players.
WON’T: Rose is just about the only weapon, and can’t carry the team.
UL-LAFAYETTE RAGIN' CAJUNS
WILL: At least they will probably beat UL-Monroe this year.
WON’T: Fans are more concerned with what the name of their university is called. Louisiana, ULL, UL-Lafayette, who cares. There are enough L’s in that last sentence to match the minimum number of losses the Ragin’ Cajuns will have this year.
IDAHO VANDALS
WILL: Their final year as an FBS team should be exciting, and quarterback Matt Linehan has a great arm to sling the ball around the field. The Vandals 61-50 over Colorado State brought excitement to the team heading into this year.
WON’T: Idaho was outscored 115-20 by Power 5 teams, and lost to the top two Sun Belt teams by a combined 71-32. Progress has been made, but there’s more than one reason why they’re moving back down to FCS.
UL-MONROE WARHAWKS
WILL: Thank you Warhawks, for not getting as bent out of shape about your school’s name.
WON’T: Unfortunately, you couldn’t even really get made because your football team won’t get talked about much outside of: “The Warhawks lost to….”
APPALACHIAN STATE MOUNTAINEERS
WILL: Anytime someone talks about the Mountaineers, the 2007 upset of Michigan always comes up. They were also close to stunning Tennessee last year in Knoxville. Quarterback Taylor Lamb returns as one of the best in the conference, and he will have running back Jalin Moore back as well.
WON’T: 2007 is over, and the Mountaineers were destroyed at home by Miami just two weeks after losing that nail biter to Tennessee. App State has another great chance at winning the conference, but that won’t get them far in terms of national recognition.
TROY TROJANS
WILL: Troy’s offense is going to be lethal with Brandon Silvers at quarterback. Jordan Chunn is a workhorse at running back as well, and the offense should continue to be elite. Coach Neal Brown has resurrected the Trojans program, and produced its first 10 win season as a member of the FBS. A close loss to Clemson put them on the map.
WON’T: The first game against Boise State will give the nation a preview of not only Troy, but the strength of the Sun Belt. That’s a tough way to open your season, and a trip to LSU later in the season will be a double digit loss.
TEXAS STATE BOBCATS
WILL: Not happening. The program is a mess.
WON’T: Everett Withers has been calling out people left and right, and kicking players off the team even faster. Not sure what he’s trying to accomplish but winning games isn’t a priority right now.
