{"id":716,"date":"2016-09-13T08:00:34","date_gmt":"2016-09-13T12:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordoncollegefootball.com\/?p=716"},"modified":"2017-12-30T15:27:18","modified_gmt":"2017-12-30T20:27:18","slug":"week-2-sun-belt-power-rankings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2016\/09\/13\/week-2-sun-belt-power-rankings\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 2: Sun Belt Power Rankings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Conference play began this past week for two teams in the Sun Belt.<\/strong> That means Georgia Southern <\/strong>takes the first lead of the season,\u00a0while\u00a0South Alabama\u00a0<\/strong>is alone in last place for now.<\/p>\n

The rest of the conference featured another near upset of a Power Five<\/strong> team and three blowout losses to Power Five opponents.<\/p>\n

Here are the rankings for all 11 Sun Belt teams based on their performances this past weekend.<\/p>\n

11. Georgia State (0-2, 0-0)\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The ending of the\u00a0Panthers<\/strong> 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\u00a0Air Force\u00a0<\/strong>48-14.<\/p>\n

Next game: Saturday, September 17th at\u00a0Wisconsin<\/strong><\/p>\n

10. Idaho (1-1, 0-0)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Vandals\u00a0<\/strong>didn’t have much success at all in a 59-14 loss to\u00a0Washington<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Next game: Saturday, September 17th at\u00a0Washington State<\/strong><\/p>\n

9. New Mexico State (1-1, 0-0)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Aggies<\/strong> haven’t had much success in the\u00a0Rio Grande Rivalry<\/strong>, but they broke their four-game losing streak to New Mexico\u00a0<\/strong>Saturday with a close 32-31 victory.<\/p>\n

Next game: Saturday, September 17th at\u00a0Kentucky<\/strong><\/p>\n

8. Louisiana Monroe (1-1, 0-0)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

They lost badly, 51-17, but they probably expected to against Oklahoma.<\/strong> Week three won’t be much easier.<\/p>\n

Next game: Saturday, September 17th at\u00a0Georgia Southern<\/strong><\/p>\n

7. Louisiana Lafayette (1-1, 0-0)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The\u00a0Ragin’ Canjuns\u00a0<\/strong>won, but they didn’t impress in week two. They barely escaped their game against McNeese State<\/strong> with a 30-22 victory. They open conference play this week.<\/p>\n

Next game: Saturday, September 17th vs. South Alabama<\/strong><\/p>\n

6. Arkansas State (0-2, 0-0)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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\u00a0Appalachian State<\/strong>,\u00a0South Alabama and\u00a0Troy\u00a0<\/strong>all played well against Power Five opponents, the\u00a0Red Wolves<\/strong> were smacked around.<\/p>\n

Next game: Friday, September 16th at\u00a0Utah State<\/strong><\/p>\n

5. Texas State (1-0, 0-0)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Next game: Saturday, September 17th at\u00a0Arkansas<\/strong><\/p>\n

4. South Alabama (1-1, 0-1)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Jaguars<\/strong> failed to find the end zone in their 24-9 loss to Georgia Southern\u00a0<\/strong>Saturday. They were very confident after their 21-20 win over\u00a0Mississippi State\u00a0<\/strong>last week, but we’ll see this week what the loss to the Eagles<\/strong> does to\u00a0that confidence.<\/p>\n

Next game: Saturday, September 17th at\u00a0Louisiana Lafayette<\/strong><\/p>\n

3. Troy (1-1, 0-0)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Troy<\/strong>\u00a0over-powered Austin-Peay<\/strong> in week one and went on to nearly\u00a0upset defending national runner-up\u00a0Clemson<\/strong> 30-24. This week may show us what direction Troy’s season will go in 2016.<\/p>\n

Next game: Saturday, September 17th at\u00a0Southern Mississippi<\/strong><\/p>\n

2. Appalachian State (1-1, 0-0)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Mountaineers<\/strong> dominated Old Dominion<\/strong> 31-7 to bounce back from their prideful, overtime loss to Tennessee<\/strong> last week. The Mountaineers look superb all-around right now, and they are on a collision course with Georgia Southern is a few weeks.<\/p>\n

Next game: Saturday, September 17th vs\u00a0Miami<\/strong> (Fla.)<\/p>\n

1. Georgia Southern (2-0, 1-0)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The Eagles<\/strong> 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\u00a0enough of a passing game in Statesboro<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Next game: Saturday, September 17th vs Louisiana Monroe<\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n