WEEK 9 CONFERENCE NOTES
NEW ORLEANS – Sun Belt West Division-leading Southern Miss—against ULM—and Troy—against Louisiana—will attempt to remain unbeaten in conference play and clinch bowl eligibility with victories over divisional rivals on Saturday on ESPN+.
The pivotal Saturday afternoon and evening matchups will follow a pair of Sun Belt linear appearances, as Georgia State hosts South Alabama at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday night on ESPN2 and Old Dominion hosts App State at 11 a.m. on Saturday on ESPNU.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
- AIR STRIKE – Two of the top receiving threats in the Sun Belt—and the nation—will take the national stage as South Alabama visits Georgia State at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 23, on ESPN2. Georgia State senior wide receiver Ted Hurst has accumulated 579 receiving yards on the season, good for third in the Sun Belt and 20th in the country. South Alabama graduate student wide receiver Devin Voisin has amassed 544 receiving yards on the year, good for fourth in the Sun Belt and 27th in the nation. Each hopes to help his team snap an extended losing streak and earn its first Sun Belt Conference win of the 2025 campaign. Georgia State was won the last three head-to-head matchups to take a 5-4 lead in the all-time series, though the two sides have not met on the gridiron since 2020.
- PRODUCTIVITY VS. EFFICIENCY – The most productive passing offense and the most efficient passing offense in the Sun Belt will square off as App State travels to Old Dominion for an 11 a.m. kickoff on Saturday, Oct. 25, on ESPNU. The Mountaineers pace the Sun Belt and rank among the Top 25 nationally averaging 277.9 passing yards per game, while the Monarchs are the league’s most efficient offensive unit with a 161.32 team passing efficiency, good for 18th in the country. Old Dominion redshirt sophomore quarterback Colton Joseph leads the Sun Belt with 16 passing touchdowns and 132 points responsible for and ranks second with a 166.3 passing efficiency. App State redshirt sophomore quarterback JJ Kohl has thrown for seven touchdowns with zero interceptions in his first three starts. App State leads the all-time series 4-1, though Old Dominion did prove victorious in the lone prior Sun Belt meeting in S.B. Ballard Stadium in 2023.
- HOMECOMING IN HATTIESBURG – Following back-to-back road victories, Southern Miss returns to The Rock on Saturday, Oct. 25, when it hosts ULM on homecoming at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN+. The Golden Eagles are 62-25 all-time in homecoming contests, including winning 16 of their last 23 homecoming games. Southern Miss also owns a 6-3 edge in the all-time series with ULM and a 2-1 lead in Sun Belt Conference matchups with the Warhawks. The Golden Eagles are unbeaten in Sun Belt Conference play and can clinch bowl eligibility with a victory on Saturday.
- SEEING RED – Fresh off a Georgia Grown Bowl victory over in-state rival Georgia State, Georgia Southern will look to do something it has never done as a program—win in Jonesboro. The Eagles will visit Arkansas State at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 25, on ESPN+. The Red Wolves have won both prior meetings in Jonesboro, though the all-time series is tied at 3-3. Performance in the red zone will prove pivotal in a clash of the Sun Belt’s third-best red zone defense (Arkansas State, .783) and the conference’s second-best red zone offense (Georgia Southern, .889).
- CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE – The two teams that have represented the Sun Belt West Division in the Sun Belt Football Championship Game since its inception in 2018 will cap the Saturday, Oct. 25, matchups when Troy hosts Louisiana at 6 p.m. on ESPN+. The Trojans (104-60) and Ragin’ Cajuns (100-72) are 2-of-3 programs with at least 100 Sun Belt victories since the conference’s inception in 2001, alongside Arkansas State (100-79), which hit the mark a week ago. The Trojans are unbeaten in Sun Belt Conference play and can clinch bowl eligibility with a victory on Saturday. Louisiana claims a 14-11 edge in the all-time series, though Troy has won four of the last seven head-to-head matchups.
WHERE TO WATCH
All Times CT