WEEK 11 CONFERENCE NOTES
NEW ORLEANS – Headlined by a head-to-head clash of Sun Belt West Division leaders Southern Miss and Arkansas State on Saturday on ESPNU, three national television broadcasts dot the Sun Belt football slate for the second-straight week in Week 11.
Georgia Southern will visit App State for a rivalry matchup under the lights on Thursday night on ESPN2, ahead of Sun Belt East Division-leading James Madison’s date with Marshall for the ‘75’ game on Saturday on ESPN2. The Dukes are receiving votes in both national polls and are among the top non-autonomy contenders for the College Football Playoff.
Arkansas State and Coastal Carolina can clinch bowl eligibility with victories.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
- SEEING RED – The latest rendition of a long-standing rivalry will garner national attention as Georgia Southern visits App State at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 6, on ESPN2. Heading into the 40th all-time meeting, the Mountaineers own a 22-17-1 advantage, including a 15-5-1 mark in Boone. Eagles head coach Clay Helton is 2-1 against the program’s long-time rival, though both victories have come in Statesboro. Since joining the Sun Belt in 2014, App State’s .831 winning percentage (59-12) inside Kidd Brewer Stadium ranks ninth among FBS programs and second among teams from non-autonomy conferences. This year’s matchup will pit the Sun Belt’s top red zone offense (Georgia Southern, .900) against its top red zone defense (App State, .741).
- AIR IT OUT – Sun Belt West Division frontrunners Southern Miss and Arkansas State carry matching four-game winning streaks into an 11 a.m. kickoff in Jonesboro on Saturday, Nov. 8, on ESPNU. The Golden Eagles claim a dominant 10-4 lead in the all-time series, though two of the Red Wolves' four all-time victories have come over the past two seasons. Control of the airways will be paramount in a head-to-head matchup of the Sun Belt’s two quarterbacks completing 19-or-more passes per game. Arkansas State junior quarterback Jaylen Raynor is completing 24.67 passes per game to lead the Sun Belt and rank fifth in the nation, while Southern Miss redshirt senior quarterback Braylon Braxton is averaging 19.88 completions per game—good for 38th in the country. Saturday’s victor will control its own destiny in pursuit of a Credit Union 1 Sun Belt Football Championship Game presented by Visit Pensacola berth. Arkansas State can also clinch bowl eligibility for the third-straight season with a win.
- LIGHT UP THE SCOREBOARD – The scoreboard operator may be in for a busy day with the top two scoring offenses in the Sun Belt facing off at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8, on ESPN2. James Madison—the Sun Belt’s top scoring offense at 34.8 points per game—and Marshall—the Sun Belt’s second-most potent offense at 34.1 points per game—will look to keep the national television audience entertained. The Thundering Herd offense will have to contend with a Dukes defensive unit that did not allow a second-half point in the month of October and ranks eighth in the country in total defense (251.4 yards per game) and 11th in scoring defense (16.1 points per game). The Dukes, at 35:08 minutes per game, and Thundering Herd, at 32:19 minutes per game, also like to control the tempo, each ranking among the Top 17 teams nationally in time of possession. Marshall owns a 4-1 lead in the all-time series, though the road team has proven victorious in all three prior meetings as Sun Belt Conference foes. The matchup is Marshall’s annual ‘75’ game, dedicated to the 75 souls lost in the deadliest air tragedy in sports history on Nov. 14, 1970.
- BUCK THE TREND – Since turning to redshirt senior Samari Collier at quarterback, Coastal Carolina has won three-straight conference games to position itself to control its own destiny as it attempts to qualify for the Credit Union 1 Sun Belt Football Championship Game presented by Visit Pensacola. Georgia State will look to derail that dream—and snap its own five-game losing streak—when it steps onto the Surf Turf at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8, on ESPN+. Coastal Carolina, which can clinch bowl eligibility for a sixth-straight season with a victory, will need to buck the trend in the all-time series to do so. The Chanticleers and Panthers have split their eight prior matchups, 4-4, with the road team winning on every occasion.
- NEVER SAY NEVER – In their last-ever matchup as Sun Belt Conference foes, Texas State will attempt to do something it’s never done—beat Louisiana. The showdown will close out the Sun Belt slate at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8, on ESPN+. Louisiana is 12-0 in the all-time series, with the teams having met annually since 2013. The last two matchups—a 34-30 Louisiana win in Lafayette in 2023 and a 23-17 Ragin’ Cajuns victory in San Marcos in 2024—are the only two contests in the series decided by one possession. The Bobcats will look to emerge from an 0-4 start in Sun Belt play, while the Ragin’ Cajuns will attempt to win back-to-back games for the first time this season.
WHERE TO WATCH
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