The Sun Belt Conference has been dominated by Appalachian State ever since the Mountaineers became a member of it dating back to 2014. In the five years since, the program has gone on to capture conference title bragging rights each of the last three seasons and is once again the decided favorite of linemakers at online sportsbooks to pull off the feat in 2019. Even with an entirely new coaching staff in place, the Mountaineers are getting respected. That doesn’t say much for the remainder of the conference entries even though the trio of Arkansas State, Troy and Louisiana-Lafayette have closed the gap in the futures market since the offerings first hit the board. But something tells me the “Fun Belt” is going to be a wild and wacky ride this season with the talent much better overall, and a number of young teams that struggled last year returning almost nearly intact. Buckle up!
ODDS TO WIN SBC
Appalachian State -125
Arkansas State +331
Troy +495
Louisiana-Lafayette +1050
Louisiana-Monroe +2350
Georgia Southern +1200
Texas State +4000
Coastal Carolina +14500
Georgia State +12000
South Alabama +20000
FAVORITE TO BACK: Arkansas State +331
The Red Wolves previously played the role Appalachian State is currently living out. In other words, Arkansas State used to be the team to beat and you can bet your bottom dollar Blake Anderson’s kids will be out for blood after being forced to play second fiddle in the West Division each of the last two seasons. While it’s tough to fade a team out to tally a fourth straight conference title, I’m having a tough time swallowing the Mountaineers being able to quickly adapt to Eli Drinkwitz’s passing-style offense after making hay pounding the rock on the ground throughout the successful Satterfield era.
Not much changes for the Red Wolves in 2019. Yes, Justice Hansen is being replaced under center by Logan Bonner, but the youngster has an experienced supporting cast supporting him right from day one. The fact that Arkansas State has gone for 300 or more yards of total offense over 90 percent of the time in their last 115 games lets it be known that the offense works regardless of who’s running it. The added bonus is a defense that returns seven starters and two up front from a unit that ranked No. 49 overall and allowed just over 26 points per game. Throw in what looks to be a very favorable schedule, and it would be shocking if Arkansas State didn’t at the very least find its way back into the Sun Belt Conference title game.
UNDERDOG TO BACK: UL Monroe +2350
Troy attempting to replace a legend of a head coach keeps me off the Trojans, and I also have reservations about Billy Napier being able to build off the Ragin’ Cajuns surprising results from last season. Instead, I’ll take a flier on one of the most experienced teams in the conference playing with a chip on its shoulder and making some noise. The Warhawks were one of four 6-6 teams to get overlooked by the bowl selection committee. That no doubt won’t sit well with the group who gets the benefit of returning eight starters on both sides of the ball. The offensive line is back and completely intact as is the front wall of the defense. Monroe ranked No. 54 in total offense a season ago, but had issues converting the yardage into points (No. 87). With a bulk of the unit back, I expect that to change dramatically.
The defense made huge strides a season ago even though it still ranked out in the bottom third of the country in both total and scoring defense. If you can believe it, the output was much worse the previous season. With the offense likely to put a few more points on the board and the defense also expected to improve, the Warhawks are my sleeper pick of the conference.
LONGSHOT TO BACK: Georgia State +12000
Not many are giving the Panthers much of a shot at competing for the Sun Belt title this season. And why would they? Georgia State won a total of two games last year and went 1-7 in conference play. The defense was an all-out joke in conceding better than 37 points per game, and if not for Texas State, the offense would’ve scored the fewest points in the conference. Keep in mind, that effort was one season removed from Shawn Elliott’s kids winning seven games and going on to defeat Western Kentucky in the Cure Bowl.
With 15 overall starters returning with a year’s worth of experience under their belt and still being sickened by the beat downs absorbed throughout all of last season, the Panthers will be in a position to turn some heads provided the defense decides to shows up. Quarterback Dan Ellington gets back all five of his experienced hogs up front as well as a seasoned wide receiver corps to get the pigskin to. If the Panthers show well in the non-conference portion of the schedule against NC State, Memphis and Western Michigan, this lottery ticket could have a shot at cashing in on the college football betting lines with those opponent’s likely thickening up their skins for the Sun Belt portion of the schedule.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
