:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71177617/1343618045.0.jpg)
The Sun Belt will enter the 2022 season as an immediate beneficiary of the latest round of conference realignment. Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss have been added to the ranks and that makes for an interesting year of #FunBelt football.
Below, we’ll look at a handful of advanced stats for the Sun Belt ahead of the 2022 season.
SP+ rankings
Entering the season, there’s a cluster of five teams at the top of the league with Appalachian State, Marshall, Coastal Carolina, Louisiana, and Georgia State all within 16 spots of each other in preseason SP+ rankings. App and Marshall are well balanced while Coastal and Louisiana have one unit a step ahead of the other.
The only other teams checking in within the top 100 of SP+ are Troy at 87, Southern Miss at 93, and Old Dominion at 98.
2022 Sun Belt SP+
| Ranking | Team | Offense SP+ | Defense SP+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranking | Team | Offense SP+ | Defense SP+ |
| 58 | App St. | 30.4 (51) | 26.1 (66) |
| 122 | Arkansas St | 20.4 (110) | 37.3 (121) |
| 65 | Coastal Caro | 35.5 (23) | 33.5 (109) |
| 114 | Georgia Southern | 20.2 (111) | 33.2 (105) |
| 73 | Georgia St | 26.0 (78) | 26.5 (68) |
| 107 | JMU | 22.5 (95) | 33.0 (104) |
| 70 | Louisiana | 25.4 (83) | 24.7 (55) |
| 63 | Marshall | 28.9 (62) | 25.9 (64) |
| 97 | ODU | 23.2 (93) | 30.8 (93) |
| 108 | South Alabama | 18.6 (120) | 29.2 (81) |
| 93 | Southern Miss | 17.9 (123) | 24.7 (54) |
| 123 | Texas St | 20.8 (106) | 39.3 (128) |
| 86 | Troy | 19.3 (116) | 24.0 (48) |
| 128 | UL-Monroe | 16.2 (128) | 38.9 (127) |
Returning production
Southern Miss enters the league with the top returning production percentage at 84% and it’s much needed for a program that’s experienced a tremendous amount of upheaval that past two years. The Golden Eagles returning a good chunk of the roster in year two of the Will Hall era will be of great benefit to them.
Georgia State stands a chance at breaking into the upper echelon of the conference with a 78% returning production percentage. The Panthers return four of their starters on the offensive line as well as the running back duo of Tucker Gregg and Jamyest Williams.
2022 Sun Belt Returning Talent
| Team | Overall Returning Production | National Rank | Offense | National Rank | Defense | National Rank | Offense Overall | Returning QB % | Returning OL % | Defense Overall | Kicker Starts | Punter Starts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Overall Returning Production | National Rank | Offense | National Rank | Defense | National Rank | Offense Overall | Returning QB % | Returning OL % | Defense Overall | Kicker Starts | Punter Starts |
| Appalachian State | 60% | 84 | 63% | 68 | 58% | 86 | 7 | 94.43% | 80.79% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Arkansas State | 56% | 97 | 46% | 115 | 51% | 108 | 4 | 47.46% | 28.57% | 3 | 0 | 12 |
| Coastal Carolina | 45% | 125 | 54% | 95 | 41% | 126 | 4 | 100.00% | 42.32% | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Georgia Southern | 71% | 33 | 77% | 23 | 67% | 48 | 7 | 57.91% | 80.75% | 4 | 9 | 12 |
| Georgia State | 78% | 15 | 84% | 10 | 87% | 4 | 8 | 84.66% | 83.16% | 7 | 0 | 13 |
| James Madison | 63% | 112 | 60% | 76 | 52% | 105 | 5 | 50.00% | 75.97% | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Louisiana | 46% | 123 | 55% | 91 | 60% | 77 | 6 | 3.47% | 83.55% | 5 | 4 | 14 |
| ULM | 54% | 104 | 68% | 54 | 43% | 124 | 5 | 57.63% | 44.12% | 4 | 12 | 12 |
| Marshall | 54% | 105 | 52% | 102 | 67% | 49 | 4 | 30.36% | 50.15% | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Old Dominion | 74% | 21 | 89% | 2 | 64% | 62 | 10 | 100.00% | 75.04% | 6 | 0 | 13 |
| South Alabama | 59% | 86 | 54% | 94 | 66% | 54 | 6 | 43.58% | 74.33% | 7 | 12 | 12 |
| Southern Miss | 84% | 4 | 85% | 7 | 87% | 3 | 4 | 99.65% | 69.11% | 7 | 12 | 12 |
| Texas State | 62% | 76 | 74% | 31 | 59% | 81 | 6 | 47.04% | 79.03% | 4 | 12 | 12 |
| Troy | 80% | 11 | 71% | 43 | 86% | 5 | 8 | 54.65% | 80.49% | 8 | 12 | 0 |
Positional talent data
Arkansas State bottomed out with a 2-10 record in Butch Jones’ first year last season. Fortunately for him, he can make a quick turnaround with the top roster in the league projected roster in the league. The Red Wolves’s strength will come from their front seven and will have Florida State transfer James Blackman back at quarterback for a second season.
App. State is right behind them with the second-best roster in the league while Southern Miss and Georgia State stack up pretty well themselves.
2022 Sun Belt Overall Talent
| Team | Team Talent National Rank | Team Talent Player Average | Team Composite National Rank | Team Composite Player Average | 6 Year Average Recrutiing Class Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Team Talent National Rank | Team Talent Player Average | Team Composite National Rank | Team Composite Player Average | 6 Year Average Recrutiing Class Rank |
| Appalachian State | 84 | 82.28 | 92 | 83.55 | 94.83 |
| Arkansas State | 82 | 82.48 | 82 | 84.07 | 95.33 |
| Coastal Carolina | 102 | 81.14 | 87 | 83.39 | 107.00 |
| Georgia Southern | 95 | 80.96 | 115 | 83.21 | 103.83 |
| Georgia State | 89 | 81.27 | 118 | 81.4 | 105.17 |
| James Madison | 130 | 76.71 | 170 | 81 | 159.00 |
| Louisiana | 93 | 81.41 | 121 | 84.12 | 95.50 |
| ULM | 124 | 78.81 | 133 | 79.97 | 115.67 |
| Marshall | 92 | 81.73 | 75 | 83.77 | 87.17 |
| Old Dominion | 104 | 81.15 | 120 | 82.52 | 114.50 |
| South Alabama | 105 | 80.93 | 97 | 82.13 | 113.83 |
| Southern Miss | 87 | 82.72 | 84 | 83.41 | 86.50 |
| Texas State | 122 | 80.25 | 129 | 81 | 117.00 |
| Troy | 100 | 81.74 | 131 | 81.75 | 99.33 |
Latest win totals from DraftKings Sportsbook
2022 Sun Belt Win Totals
| Team | Over | Under |
|---|---|---|
| Team | Over | Under |
| Appalachian State | Over 8.5 -110 | Under 8.5 -110 |
| Arkansas State | Over 5 -120 | Under 5 +100 |
| Coastal Carolina | Over 8 +120 | Under 8 -140 |
| Georgia Southern | Over 4.5 -110 | Under 4.5 -110 |
| Georgia State | Over 7.5 +130 | Under 7.5 -150 |
| James Madison | Over 6.5 +120 | Under 6.5 -150 |
| Louisiana-Lafayette | Over 8.5 -120 | Under 8.5 +100 |
| Marshall | Over 7 -120 | Under 7 +100 |
| Old Dominion | Over 4.5 +100 | Under 4.5 -120 |
| South Alabama | Over 5.5 -110 | Under 5.5 -110 |
| Southern Mississippi | Over 4.5 -130 | Under 4.5 +110 |
| Texas State | Over 5 +130 | Under 5 -150 |
| Troy | Over 6.5 -110 | Under 6.5 -110 |
| ULM | Over 2.5 -125 | Under 2.5 +105 |
Returning production and positional talent data compiled by Seth Varnadore. You can find him on Twitter and YouTube at Varnadore Films where he does game film breakdowns of teams all over college football.
SP+ data compiled by ESPN’s Bill Connelly.