2019 Sun Belt Football News and Notes:
Postseason Week 1 Release (PDF) | Bowl Central | Standings | Composite Schedule | Stats 
Championship Game | Media Guide

AROUND #SUNBELTFB
• Sun Belt Conference football heads into the postseason with five or more teams playing in bowl games for the fourth consecutive season. 

• The Sun Belt enters bowl season boasting the best bowl winning percentage among all 10 Football Bowl Subdivision conferences over the last three seasons (2016-18):

1. Sun Belt - 11-5 (.688)
2. Big 12 - 14-10 (.583)
3. Atlantic Coast - 18-14 (.563)
4. Big Ten - 15-12 (.556)
5. Mountain West - 10-8 (.556)
6. Conference USA - 12-10 (.545)
7.  Southeastern - 17-17 (.500)
8. American Athletic - 8-13 (.381)
9. Pac-12 - 7-15 (.318)
10. Mid-American - 2-15 (.118)

• The Sun Belt has built on its non-conference success from a year ago with 22 regular-season wins and the third-best winning percentage this season among the Group of Five conferences:
 
1. American - 33-14 (.702)
2. Mountain West - 29-18 (.617)
3. Sun Belt - 22-18 (.550)
4. Conference USA - 24-32 (.429)
5. Mid-American - 18-30 (.375)

• The Sun Belt needs three bowl victories to top its all-time record of 24 non-conference wins (regular-season and postseason) set a season ago. In 2018, the Sun Belt posted the best winning percentage against non-conference opponents among the Group of Five conferences:

1. Sun Belt  - 24- 20 (.545)
2. Mountain West - 29-25 (.537)
3. American - 27-28 (.491)
4. Conference USA - 26-36 (.419)
5. Mid-American - 19-35 (.352)

• National postseason awards and recognitions are pouring in for Sun Belt football following a historical 2019 season, highlighted by Louisiana redshirt senior offensive lineman Kevin Dotson and Arkansas State senior wide receiver Omar Bayless earning multiple All-America honors.

• Appalachian State is in the midst of a historic season, becoming the first Sun Belt program to earn a College Football Playoff Top 25 in-season ranking (20th in the final release) and also be ranked in both national polls (20th in both the Associated Press Top 25 and Amway Coaches powered by USA Today Sports Top 25 polls in the Dec. 8 release) at the same time. 

The Mountaineers closed the regular season ranked in the final five weeks of the CFP Rankings – 25th on Nov. 12 and Nov. 26, 24th on Nov. 19, 21st on Dec. 1 and 20th on Dec. 8. The final CFP ranking is the highest in school and conference history and came on the heels of capturing the 2019 Sun Belt title with a 45-38 win over Louisiana.  Appalachian State was ranked in the national polls for eight weeks during the season –  Oct. 13 (24th in the AP and Coaches), Oct. 20 (21st in the AP and 22nd in the Coaches), Oct. 27 (20th in the AP and Coaches), Nov. 10 (24th in the Coaches), Nov. 17 (23rd in the AP and 22nd in the Coaches), Nov. 24 (22nd in the AP and Coaches), Dec. 1 (20th in the AP and Coaches) and Dec. 8 (20th in the AP and Coaches). The national poll rankings of 20th tie the conference's all-time high achieved in the Oct. 27 and Dec. 1 polls. The Mountaineers have received votes in 18 straight weeks of the AP Top 25 dating back to last year.

The CFP ranking is an all-time high in school and conference history and national poll rankings tie the school's and conference's all-time high with the Oct. 27 rankings earlier this season.

• Appalachian State brings an unblemished 4-0 bowl record into this postseason with wins in the Camellia (2015, 2016), Dollar General (2017) and New Orleans (2018) bowls. The Mountaineers are the only program to post a 4-0 bowl record in its first four eligible seasons. Only Marshall has made more consecutive bowl appearances after jumping to the FBS ranks (six), but it lost its 1997 bowl debut.

• Louisiana is in a bowl for the second-straight and ninth time in program history. The Ragin' Cajuns hold an official bowl record of 4-2 bowl with postseason appearances in four of the last six seasons (2014, 2016, 2018, 2019). Louisiana has achieved a 10-win season and seven conference wins for the first time in school history. The Ragin' Cajuns closed the regular season receiving points in the Coaches Poll for five-straight weeks. 

• Arkansas State is bowl eligible for the ninth-straight season (2011-19) and 12th time in the last 15 seasons. The Red Wolves have become bowl eligible in 10 games or less in each of those seasons. This year's Camellia Bowl appearance marks Arkansas State's 17th bowl game in program history, the most of any Sun Belt team. The Red Wolves hold a 7-8-1 record in their 16 previous bowl contests. Including three of its seven victories this season, 38 of Arkansas State's 46 wins under head coach Blake Anderson have come by 10 or more points. Four of the Red Wolves' eight single-digit victories under Anderson have been posted this season.

• Georgia Southern is undefeated in its two previous bowl appearances (GoDaddy in 2015, Camellia in 2018). The Eagles' third FBS bowl game in program history is their first not being played in the state of Alabama. Georgia Southern’s FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl appearance is its first game in the state of Florida since beating Florida in The Swamp to end the 2013 season. Playing their first game in Orlando since 1990, the Eagles are 4-0 all-time in games played in that city. Georgia Southern has won 19 straight games when leading at halftime, a streak that began on Nov. 18, 2017, and 17 of its last 19 games when winning the rushing battle.

• Playing just its 10th season of football and sixth at the FBS level, Georgia State is in a bowl game for the third time since 2015. Forty-five current FBS programs cannot make that claim, including 17 Autonomy Five conference schools. The Panthers have already matched their school-record for victories with seven, including a program-best 5-1 mark at Georgia State Stadium. Georgia State's five-game improvement over last season is third in the FBS behind Navy and Central Michigan.

• The Sun Belt boasts multiple 10-win teams for the third time in the last four seasons. In 2018, the league had an all-time high of three teams with 10 or more wins – Appalachian State (11-2, 7-1), Troy (10-3, 7-1) and Georgia Southern (10-3, 6-2). All three won their bowl games.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Saturday, December 21        
FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl (Orlando, Fla.)     
Georgia Southern vs. Liberty (CBS Sports Network), 1:30 p.m.
 
Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.)  
Arkansas State vs. FIU (ESPN), 4:30 p.m.
 
R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (New Orleans, La.)
No. 20 Appalachian State vs. UAB (ESPN), 8 p.m.
 
Tuesday, December 31         
NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl (Tucson, Ariz.)
Georgia State vs. Wyoming (CBS Sports Network), 3:30 p.m.
 
Monday, January 6   
LendingTree Bowl (Mobile, Ala.)      
/RV Louisiana vs. Miami (Ohio) (ESPN), 6:30 p.m.
 
All Times Central and Subject to Change