Conference play began this past week for two teams in the Sun Belt. That means Georgia Southern takes the first lead of the season, while South Alabama is alone in last place for now.
The rest of the conference featured another near upset of a Power Five team and three blowout losses to Power Five opponents.
Here are the rankings for all 11 Sun Belt teams based on their performances this past weekend.
11. Georgia State (0-2, 0-0)
The ending of the Panthers 2015 season gave them a ton of confidence and momentum going into 2016. They must have misplaced both in the off-season. They were crushed by Air Force 48-14.
Next game: Saturday, September 17th at Wisconsin
10. Idaho (1-1, 0-0)
The Vandals didn’t have much success at all in a 59-14 loss to Washington.
Next game: Saturday, September 17th at Washington State
9. New Mexico State (1-1, 0-0)
The Aggies haven’t had much success in the Rio Grande Rivalry, but they broke their four-game losing streak to New Mexico Saturday with a close 32-31 victory.
Next game: Saturday, September 17th at Kentucky
8. Louisiana Monroe (1-1, 0-0)
They lost badly, 51-17, but they probably expected to against Oklahoma. Week three won’t be much easier.
Next game: Saturday, September 17th at Georgia Southern
7. Louisiana Lafayette (1-1, 0-0)
The Ragin’ Canjuns won, but they didn’t impress in week two. They barely escaped their game against McNeese State with a 30-22 victory. They open conference play this week.
Next game: Saturday, September 17th vs. South Alabama
6. Arkansas State (0-2, 0-0)
The defending conference champions and their offense have not looked good so far in 2016. They’ve only scored 24 points in two games, as well as losing against Auburn 51-14. Where Appalachian State, South Alabama and Troy all played well against Power Five opponents, the Red Wolves were smacked around.
Next game: Friday, September 16th at Utah State
5. Texas State (1-0, 0-0)
They’re one of only two undefeated teams in the conference, but that isn’t saying much since they didn’t play this past week. They will most likely not remain undefeated after week three however.
Next game: Saturday, September 17th at Arkansas
4. South Alabama (1-1, 0-1)
The Jaguars failed to find the end zone in their 24-9 loss to Georgia Southern Saturday. They were very confident after their 21-20 win over Mississippi State last week, but we’ll see this week what the loss to the Eagles does to that confidence.
Next game: Saturday, September 17th at Louisiana Lafayette
3. Troy (1-1, 0-0)
Troy over-powered Austin-Peay in week one and went on to nearly upset defending national runner-up Clemson 30-24. This week may show us what direction Troy’s season will go in 2016.
Next game: Saturday, September 17th at Southern Mississippi
2. Appalachian State (1-1, 0-0)
The Mountaineers dominated Old Dominion 31-7 to bounce back from their prideful, overtime loss to Tennessee last week. The Mountaineers look superb all-around right now, and they are on a collision course with Georgia Southern is a few weeks.
Next game: Saturday, September 17th vs Miami (Fla.)
1. Georgia Southern (2-0, 1-0)
The Eagles are the only multi-win team in the conference, and one of only two undefeated teams. They also have an early lead in the conference standings with a 24-9 win over South Alabama. Their defense is looking good, the run game is as great as always, and they should have just enough of a passing game in Statesboro.
Next game: Saturday, September 17th vs Louisiana Monroe
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