NEW ORLEANS — The Sun Belt Conference announced its 2023 football schedule Friday.
The 2022 campaign—the conference’s first as a 14-team football league—was a banner year for the Sun Belt, which defeated four autonomy five programs, hosted ESPN’s College GameDay for the second time in conference history and produced a conference-record seven Bowl Season participants—tied for the most among non-autonomy conferences and trailing only the SEC, ACC, Big Ten and Big 12.
Three of the conference’s victories over autonomy five programs came on a statement Saturday in Week 2, when the Sun Belt became the first non-autonomy conference to knock off multiple Top 10-ranked opponents on the same day in nearly two decades (Sept. 20, 2003).
On the heels of these victories, the conference launched its Sun Belt Rising campaign, which was featured in Times Square leading into College GameDay, Los Angeles during College Football Playoff (CFP) week, each of the conference’s seven bowl markets during Bowl Season and each of the conference’s 14 institutional markets during the 2022 season.
The conference was home to the last two unbeaten teams and the last one-loss team from a non-autonomy conference this season and was the lone non-autonomy conference to have multiple teams reach 10 wins during the regular season. No. 24 Troy (12-2) finished the year as 1-of-2 two-loss teams from non-autonomy conferences, alongside New Year’s Six representative No. 16 Tulane (12-2).
The 23rd season of Sun Belt football will feature 56 league games. Each Sun Belt program will play eight conference games—six against divisional opponents and two against opponents from the opposite division.
The Sun Belt East Division includes App State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, James Madison, Marshall, and Old Dominion. The Sun Belt West Division consists of Arkansas State, Louisiana, ULM, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Texas State, and Troy.
Each of the Sun Belt’s seven representatives in Bowl Season from a year ago—Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Louisiana, Marshall, South Alabama, Southern Miss and Troy—will be prominently featured in the midweek portion of the conference schedule, with all seven games appearing across ESPN linear platforms.
Thursday, Sept. 21 – Georgia State at Coastal Carolina
Tuesday, Oct. 10 – Coastal Carolina at App State
Tuesday, Oct. 17 – Southern Miss at South Alabama
Thursday, Oct. 19 – James Madison at Marshall
Thursday, Oct. 26 – Georgia State at Georgia Southern
Thursday, Nov. 2 – South Alabama at Troy
Thursday, Nov. 9 – Southern Miss at Louisiana
Kickoff times and networks for all midweek games and weekend games in the first three weeks of the season will be selected in late May. All other games will fall into the traditional 12-day selection process.
TEAM-BY-TEAM SCHEDULES
SUN BELT EAST DIVISION
APP STATE
9/2 Gardner-Webb
9/9 at North Carolina
9/16 East Carolina
9/23 at Wyoming
9/30 at ULM*
10/10 Coastal Carolina*
10/21 at Old Dominion*
10/28 Southern Miss*
11/4 Marshall*
11/11 at Georgia State*
11/18 at James Madison*
11/25 Georgia Southern*
COASTAL CAROLINA
9/2 at UCLA
9/9 Jacksonville State
9/16 Duquesne
9/21 Georgia State*
9/30 at Georgia Southern*
10/10 at App State*
10/21 at Arkansas State*
10/28 Marshall*
11/4 at Old Dominion*
11/11 Texas State*
11/18 at Army
11/25 James Madison*
GEORGIA SOUTHERN
9/2 The Citadel
9/9 UAB
9/16 at Wisconsin
9/23 at Ball State
9/30 Coastal Carolina*
10/14 at James Madison*
10/21 ULM*
10/26 Georgia State*
11/4 at Texas State*
11/11 at Marshall*
11/18 Old Dominion*
11/25 at App State*
GEORGIA STATE
8/31 Rhode Island
9/9 UConn
9/16 at Charlotte
9/21 at Coastal Carolina*
9/30 Troy*
10/14 Marshall*
10/21 at Louisiana*
10/26 at Georgia Southern*
11/4 James Madison*
11/11 App State*
11/18 at LSU
11/25 at Old Dominion*
JAMES MADISON
9/2 Bucknell
9/9 at Virginia
9/16 at Troy*
9/23 at Utah State
9/30 South Alabama*
10/14 Georgia Southern*
10/19 at Marshall*
10/28 Old Dominion*
11/4 at Georgia State*
11/11 UConn
11/18 App State*
11/25 at Coastal Carolina*
MARSHALL
9/2 Albany
9/9 at East Carolina
9/23 Virginia Tech
9/30 Old Dominion*
10/7 at NC State
10/14 at Georgia State*
10/19 James Madison*
10/28 at Coastal Carolina*
11/4 at App State*
11/11 Georgia Southern*
11/18 at South Alabama*
11/25 Arkansas State*
OLD DOMINION
9/2 at Virginia Tech
9/9 Louisiana*
9/16 Wake Forest
9/23 Texas A&M-Commerce
9/30 at Marshall*
10/7 at Southern Miss*
10/21 App State*
10/28 at James Madison*
11/4 Coastal Carolina*
11/11 at Liberty
11/18 at Georgia Southern*
11/25 Georgia State*
SUN BELT WEST DIVISION
ARKANSAS STATE
9/2 at Oklahoma
9/9 Memphis
9/16 Stony Brook
9/23 Southern Miss*
9/30 at UMass
10/7 at Troy*
10/21 Coastal Carolina*
10/28 at ULM*
11/4 Louisiana*
11/11 at South Alabama*
11/18 Texas State*
11/25 at Marshall*
LOUISIANA
9/2 Northwestern State
9/9 at Old Dominion*
9/16 at UAB
9/23 Buffalo
9/30 at Minnesota
10/7 Texas State*
10/21 Georgia State*
10/28 at South Alabama*
11/4 at Arkansas State*
11/9 Southern Miss*
11/18 at Troy*
11/25 ULM*
ULM
9/2 Army
9/9 Lamar
9/16 at Texas A&M
9/30 App State*
10/7 South Alabama*
10/14 at Texas State*
10/21 at Georgia Southern*
10/28 Arkansas State*
11/4 at Southern Miss*
11/11 Troy*
11/18 at Ole Miss
11/25 at Louisiana*
SOUTH ALABAMA
9/2 at Tulane
9/9 Southeastern Louisiana
9/16 at Oklahoma State
9/23 Central Michigan
9/30 at James Madison*
10/7 at ULM*
10/17 Southern Miss*
10/28 Louisiana*
11/2 at Troy*
11/11 Arkansas State*
11/18 Marshall*
11/25 at Texas State*
SOUTHERN MISS
9/2 Alcorn State
9/9 at Florida State
9/16 Tulane
9/23 at Arkansas State*
9/30 Texas State*
10/7 Old Dominion*
10/17 at South Alabama*
10/28 at App State*
11/4 ULM*
11/9 at Louisiana*
11/18 at Mississippi State
11/25 Troy*
TEXAS STATE
9/2 at Baylor
9/9 at UTSA
9/16 Jackson State
9/23 Nevada
9/30 at Southern Miss*
10/7 at Louisiana*
10/14 ULM*
10/28 Troy*
11/4 Georgia Southern*
11/11 at Coastal Carolina*
11/18 at Arkansas State*
11/25 South Alabama*
TROY
9/2 Stephen F. Austin
9/9 at Kansas State
9/16 James Madison*
9/23 Western Kentucky
9/30 at Georgia State*
10/7 Arkansas State*
10/14 at Army
10/28 at Texas State*
11/2 South Alabama*
11/11 at ULM*
11/18 Louisiana*
11/25 at Southern Miss*
* Sun Belt Conference Game
OVERALL CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Thursday, August 31
Rhode Island at Georgia State
Saturday, September 2
Gardner-Webb at App State
Coastal Carolina at UCLA
The Citadel at Georgia Southern
Bucknell at James Madison
Albany at Marshall
Old Dominion at Virginia Tech
Arkansas State at Oklahoma
Northwestern State at Louisiana
Army at ULM
South Alabama at Tulane
Alcorn State at Southern Miss
Texas State at Baylor
Stephen F. Austin at Troy
Saturday, Sept. 9
App State at North Carolina
Jacksonville State at Coastal Carolina
UAB at Georgia Southern
UConn at Georgia State
James Madison at Virginia
Marshall at East Carolina
Louisiana at Old Dominion*
Memphis at Arkansas State
Lamar at ULM
Southeastern Louisiana at South Alabama
Southern Miss at Florida State
Texas State at UTSA
Troy at Kansas State
Saturday, Sept. 16
East Carolina at App State
Duquesne at Coastal Carolina
Georgia Southern at Wisconsin
Georgia State at Charlotte
Wake Forest at Old Dominion
Stony Brook at Arkansas State
Louisiana at UAB
ULM at Texas A&M
South Alabama at Oklahoma State
Tulane at Southern Miss
Jackson State at Texas State
James Madison at Troy*
Thursday, Sept. 21
Georgia State at Coastal Carolina*
Saturday, Sept. 23
App State at Wyoming
Georgia Southern at Ball State
James Madison at Utah State
Virginia Tech at Marshall
Texas A&M-Commerce at Old Dominion
Southern Miss at Arkansas State*
Buffalo at Louisiana
Central Michigan at South Alabama
Nevada at Texas State
Western Kentucky at Troy
Saturday, Sept. 30
Coastal Carolina at Georgia Southern*
Troy at Georgia State*
South Alabama at James Madison*
Old Dominion at Marshall*
Arkansas State at UMass
Louisiana at Minnesota
App State at ULM*
Texas State at Southern Miss*
Saturday, Oct. 7
Marshall at NC State
Texas State at Louisiana*
South Alabama at ULM*
Old Dominion at Southern Miss*
Arkansas State at Troy*
Tuesday, Oct. 10
Coastal Carolina at App State*
Saturday, Oct. 14
Marshall at Georgia State*
Georgia Southern at James Madison*
ULM at Texas State*
Troy at Army
Tuesday, Oct. 17
Southern Miss at South Alabama*
Thursday, Oct. 19
James Madison at Marshall*
Saturday, Oct. 21
ULM at Georgia Southern*
App State at Old Dominion*
Coastal Carolina at Arkansas State*
Georgia State at Louisiana*
Thursday, Oct. 26
Georgia State at Georgia Southern*
Saturday, Oct. 28
Southern Miss at App State*
Marshall at Coastal Carolina*
Old Dominion at James Madison*
Arkansas State at ULM*
Louisiana at South Alabama*
Troy at Texas State*
Thursday, Nov. 2
South Alabama at Troy*
Saturday, Nov. 4
Marshall at App State*
James Madison at Georgia State*
Coastal Carolina at Old Dominion*
Louisiana at Arkansas State*
ULM at Southern Miss*
Georgia Southern at Texas State*
Thursday, Nov. 9
Southern Miss at Louisiana*
Saturday, Nov. 11
Texas State at Coastal Carolina*
App State at Georgia State*
UConn at James Madison
Georgia Southern at Marshall*
Old Dominion at Liberty
Troy at ULM*
Arkansas State at South Alabama*
Saturday, Nov. 18
Coastal Carolina at Army
Old Dominion at Georgia Southern*
Georgia State at LSU
App State at James Madison*
Texas State at Arkansas State*
ULM at Ole Miss
Marshall at South Alabama*
Southern Miss at Mississippi State
Louisiana at Troy*
Saturday, Nov. 25
Georgia Southern at App State*
James Madison at Coastal Carolina*
Arkansas State at Marshall*
Georgia State at Old Dominion*
ULM at Louisiana*
Troy at Southern Miss*
South Alabama at Texas State*
Saturday, Dec. 2
Hercules Tires Sun Belt Football Championship Game
* Sun Belt Conference Game