The 2017 Sun Belt Conference football opponents have been released. Each team will play four conference home games and four conference road games.
Coastal Carolina joins the Sun Belt Conference this season, which gives the league 12 football-playing members. Next season, the Sun Belt will field ten teams after Idaho and New Mexico State depart.
The complete 2017 Sun Belt Football Schedule with dates should be released on Wednesday, March 1.
2017 Sun Belt Football Opponents
Appalachian State Mountaineers
Home: Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, New Mexico State, UL Lafayette
Road: Georgia State, Idaho, Texas State, ULM
Miss: Arkansas State, South Alabama, Troy
Home: Coastal Carolina, Texas State, Troy, UL Lafayette
Road: Georgia Southern, New Mexico State, South Alabama, ULM
Miss: Appalachian State, Georgia State, Idaho
Home: Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Texas State, Troy
Road: Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Idaho, ULM
Miss: New Mexico State, South Alabama, UL Lafayette
Home: Arkansas State, Georgia State, New Mexico State, South Alabama
Road: Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Troy, UL Lafayette
Miss: Idaho, Texas State, ULM
Home: Appalachian State, Idaho, South Alabama, Troy
Road: Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Texas State, ULM
Miss: Arkansas State, New Mexico State, UL Lafayette
Home: Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, UL Lafayette, ULM
Road: Georgia State, New Mexico State, South Alabama, Troy
Miss: Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Texas State
Home: Arkansas State, Idaho, South Alabama, Troy
Road: Appalachian State, Georgia Southern, Texas State, UL Lafayette
Miss: Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, ULM
Home: Arkansas State, Idaho, UL Lafayette, ULM
Road: Georgia Southern, Georgia State, New Mexico State, Troy
Miss: Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Texas State
Home: Appalachian State, Georgia State, New Mexico State, ULM
Road: Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Troy, UL Lafayette
Miss: Georgia Southern, Idaho, South Alabama
Home: Georgia Southern, Idaho, South Alabama, Texas State
Road: Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, New Mexico State
Miss: Appalachian State, UL Lafayette, ULM
Home: Georgia Southern, New Mexico State, Texas State, ULM
Road: Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Idaho, South Alabama
Miss: Coastal Carolina, Georgia State, Troy
Home: Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State
Road: Idaho, South Alabama, Texas State, UL Lafayette
Miss: Georgia Southern, New Mexico State, Troy
The Sun Belt could be thinking major changes after this coming season because I am projecting Arkansas State, ULL, ULM and Texas State all moving to C-USA to replace schools departing for the American among other conference realignment changes in 2018.
La Tech despises ULL and ULM, even gave up a bowl game so as not to be seen on the same field as them.
Plus, ya, CUSA is hardly a step up for SB programs.
So no divisions and no title game? That seems odd.
Divisions and SBC title game will begin in 2018.
2018 Sun Belt Conference lineup will consist of…
EAST: Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Troy
WEST: Arkansas State, Louisiana, South Alabama, Texas State, ULM
No chance in hell any SBC school leaves for CUSA…ever. No incentive…CUSA was LAST in conference standings among the 10 FBS conferences in 2016. The TV deals are essentially identical now. The SBC has stronger athletic programs top to bottom. I could see Texas State wanting to move to be with the various Texas schools in CUSA but no other school in the SBC would see any benefit in jumping conferences unless it was the American or a P5 conference.
According to (I think) this site, the SBC will start playing a conference title game in 2018 under the revised NCAA rule that is allowing the Big 12 to play a Conf. title game this next year with only 10 teams.
I know, stupid.
At least the SBC isn’t already playing everyone in the conference. They aren’t guaranteed to have a rematch.
Title game starts in 2018. They haven’t officially announced divisions yet.
LA Tech wants an in-state rival in their conference, especially since they never got to develop a rivalry with Tulane. With my projections they get both ULL and ULM.
Indeed. I imagine the reason is because there was not enough time to get good TV money for it. Why play the game, the argument goes, if it costs more than it pays.
Still, they are close to having 2 round-robin divisions; 2 pairs of teams just need to trade opponents:
ULL travels to Troy instead of Idaho
Texas St travels to Idaho instead of Troy
No big rivalries squashed, with that 1 switch you’d get these 2017 divisions:
Sun Division
Georgia Southern
New Mexico State
South Alabama
La Lafayette
Troy
Arkansas State
Belt Division
Idaho
Coastal Carolina
Georgia State
Appalachian State
La Monroe
Texas State
Not exactly a harbinger of 2018’s East-West divisions, but if someone offered you a couple million to put your game on TV, you could get it done.