![]() ![]() James Madison and Old Dominion ranked just behind Troy in women’s basketball, who have four Sun Belt championships in the last six seasons, in NET rating last season. The Golden Eagles have struggled in their first two seasons under head coach Jay Ladner (.304 winning percentage), but many expect them to take a step forward this year. The Dukes were the regular-season champions of the slightly weak and wide-open Colonial Athletic Association last season after finishing last the year before. James Madison and Southern Miss are both top 200 teams in the KenPom and reside somewhere in the middle of the current Sun Belt standings. The duo provides a needed boost to the Sun Belt’s basketball reputation – a boost that could make the Sun Belt a two-bid conference down the road. Old Dominion has had four 25-win seasons in the last decade and made a brief appearance in the AP Top 25 in 2014. The Thundering Herd have three 20-win seasons in the last five seasons and upset fourth-seeded Wichita State in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Marshall is fresh off a C-USA regular-season championship but got unlucky in the first round of the conference tournament. Good news for the Sun Belt, not great news for the Panthers.Īccording to Ken Pomeroy’s preseason ratings, Marshall and Old Dominion would be near the top of the Sun Belt’s east division in men’s basketball, right behind Georgia State. ![]() The east division has become one of the toughest – if not the toughest – division in the Group of Five. The Sun Belt added two schools that can immediately compete for the football title, two more that can contend in a few seasons and four programs with dedicated fanbases that travel well. ![]() Other pros include their 36,000-seat facility and their proximity to four Sun Belt schools. The Golden Eagles are bottoming out right now (last in the nation in points per game, 128 th in SRS) but could have a fun team by the time they join the conference in 2023. ![]() While the other three schools expand the Sun Belt’s geography northward, Southern Miss fits right into the conference’s current footprint. Bonus: Marshall adds a beautiful green to the Sun Belt’s color palette. From the tragedy of the 1970 airplane crash and We Are Marshall to the Herd’s undefeated 1999 season and spectacular 13-1 campaign in 2014, college football fans know Marshall.Īccording to SP+, Marshall would battle Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State this season for the east division title. Marshall has a storied history and a lot of brand recognition. ODU football may not immediately compete for titles but can fill out the middle of the conference for the time being. The Monarchs have a considerable athletics budget, bring in over 18,000 people a game, and are in the major metro area of Norfolk, VA. Old Dominion only restarted their football program in 2014 but have experienced the near-full spectrum of success since ten wins and a bowl victory in 2016, then just one win and a bottom-five Simple Rating System (SRS) ranking in 2019. Still, they could immediately contend for the Sun Belt east division title come 2023. They’ve averaged over 22,500 people per game so far in 2021 in beautiful Bridgeforth Stadium.Īccording to Bill Connelly’s SP+ ratings at, the Dukes would expect to place around Troy and Georgia State in the Sun Belt standings this season. James Madison is similar to Coastal, Appalachian State and Georgia Southern, with 12 FCS playoff appearances in the last 20 years and three FCS championships. Let’s look at how the additions of James Madison, Old Dominion, Marshall and Southern Mississippi changed the landscape of the Sun Belt’s major sports. Now the Sun Belt has placed itself in a position to solidify its standing as a top Group of Five conferences in football, rejuvenate the top of the conference in basketball, add national contenders in baseball and even bring back men’s soccer! In 2013, the conference’s front office focused on adding FCS powerhouses with strong fanbases, including Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina and even Georgia Southern – to complement their traditional and developing programs. Like any good plan, those who made it needed time to see the full results, and we have reached that point. Georgia State and South Alabama had football programs still in their infancy. Conference USA ripped five schools from the Sun Belt, temporarily relegating the conference to a fragile conglomerate of schools stretching from south Georgia to Idaho – the logistical nightmare of 10 to 12 athletic directors across the nation. The great conference realignment of the early 2010s had a massive effect on the Sun Belt. ![]()
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