James Madison a favorite to win Sun Belt as chaos reigns in the conference
The Sun Belt has created a bit of a reputation for chaos. The days of single-team dominance have been replaced by fast risers, rapid turnover, unpredictable outcomes and fierce competition.
Defending champion Marshall lost coach Charles Huff and a significant portion of the roster to conference foe Southern Miss. The West Division has its own intrigue with Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas State splitting opinion on which will be on top this season.
JMU was the clear favorite in the Sun Belt preseason coaches poll, earning a league-high 11 first-place votes.
James Madison the consensus favorite
James Madison is in its fourth year in the conference and the Football Bowl Subdivision and has 28 wins to show for it, a steady performance that followed a run near the top of the FCS.
The Dukes finished 9-4 overall and third in the East Division with a 4-4 conference record in coach Bob Chesney’s first year at the helm. Quarterback Alonza Barnett III completed 60% of his passes for 2,598 yards, 26 touchdowns and four interceptions while rushing for 442 yards and seven TDs. A leg injury cut Barnett’s season short, sidelining the sophomore from the Boca Raton Bowl.
The Dukes brought in other options at signal-caller, including Matt Sluka, who played for Chesney at Holy Cross and left UNLV over a contract dispute. Georgia Southern was picked to finish second in the East.
None of the Sun Belt Conference teams made the AP Top 25 preseason poll, but JMU (9) and Louisiana-Lafayette (1) got votes — and both are the coaches’ picks to reach the title game.
Are the Golden Eagles the new Thundering Herd?
Under Huff, Marshall went 10-3 last season, including 7-1 in play, and beat the Ragin’ Cajuns 31-3 in the league title game. Huff left for Southern Miss soon after and the Herd had to pull out of the Independence Bowl because more than 30 players jumped into the transfer portal, pushing the team below the necessary roster minimum.
Several of those players followed Huff, including quarterback Braylon Braxton, the preseason Sun Belt offensive player of the year. Braxton completed 124 of 206 passes for 1,624 yards, 19 touchdowns and two interceptions while tacking on 610 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns in 2024 – all career highs.
Redshirt sophomore return specialist Ian Foster and redshirt senior defensive back Josh Moten also followed Huff and were 2025 preseason all-Sun Belt selections.
In the West Division
Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas State each got six votes from league coaches to win the division.
The Ragin’ Cajuns followed their loss to Marshall in the Sun Belt title game with a 34-3 loss to TCU in the New Mexico Bowl, but it was still the best season offensively since the departure of coach Billy Napier. Significant turnover looms over its offense, losing quarterbacks Ben Wooldridge and Chandler Fields.
Texas State’s offense faces similar changes, bringing in a new quarterback and offensive coordinator Landon Keopple. Of the five quarterbacks on the roster, redshirt freshman Brad Jackson is the sole returner. The Bobcats acquired several transfer quarterbacks from strong programs: Keldric Luster from SMU, Holden Geriner from Auburn and Nate Yarnell from Pitt. The Bobcats also welcomed freshman Gavin Parkhurst.
Key transfers
Braxton, Moten and Foster weren’t the only notable transfers who could have an immediate impact:
— Kenard Snyder, Edge, Texas State
— Kaleno Levine, CB, Troy
— Zach Palmer-Smith, RB, ULM
— Walker Howard, QB, Louisiana-Lafayette
— Xavier Holmes, DL, James Madison
— Luke Murphy, LB, Coastal Carolina
Key matchups
Georgia Southern at James Madison (Sept. 27), Louisiana-Lafayette at James Madison (Oct. 11), Georgia Southern at Arkansas State (Oct. 25), James Madison at Texas State (Oct. 28), Georgia Southern at Appalachian State (Nov. 6), Texas State vs. Louisiana (Nov. 8), Troy at Old Dominion (Nov. 13)
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