The first year in the expanded Sun Belt Conference gave us some fantastic football. Recent league bullies Louisiana and Appalachian State slipped back to the pack, and new challengers emerged in their place. A few outfits, mostly in the West – Troy, Louisiana, Southern Miss, and Marshall from the East – assembled dominant defenses and aimed to squeak out just enough production on offense to win close ballgames. On the East side of the league, we saw Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, and Appalachian State lead with high-flying offenses and try to turn every game into a slugfest. And James Madison and South Alabama sported the league’s most well-balanced, and arguably the two best, teams overall, although neither will play for the championship.
It was a year of stars, too. The league was home to excellent quarterback play from Grayson McCall, Chase Brice, Carter Bradley, Todd Centeio and others. Running backs were the toast of the league: Frank Gore Jr., Percy Agyei-Obese, Nate Noel, Khalan Laborn all had excellent seasons. And a number of star players were dominant on defense: Georgia Southern CB Derrick Canteen, Louisiana DE Zi’Yon Hill-Green, USA safety Yam Banks, and Marshall’s NFL bloodline cornerbacks Steven Gilmore and Micah Abraham. But a pair of linebackers stood above: Troy’s Carlton Martial set the FBS career record for tackles, but Old Dominion’s Jason Henderson showed he might challenge in a few years after 186 of his own in his sophomore season.
You can’t tell the story of the league without focusing on some of the excellent head coaches. Jon Sumrall won the West Division in his first year at Troy, while Kane Wommack at USA, Will Hall at USM, and Charles Huff at Marshall continued their upward trajectories. Clay Helton and Michael Desormeaux are going to the postseason in their first season at the helm at Georgia Southern and Louisiana, respectively. And Curt Cignetti brought a powerhouse FCS team into the league and finished atop the Sun Belt East standings.
Let’s take a look at the story of each team’s season, going down the standings in order. Yesterday we summed up the season for the West division. Today let’s look at the East.
1st: James Madison 8-3 (6-2), 51st in SP+
The Dukes’ inaugural season in FBS was a dream. James Madison was the most consistent and dominant team in the Sun Belt, other than a midseason swoon that coincided with an oblique injury to starting quarterback Todd Centeio. The defense was excellent, led by a front that erased even the best rushing attacks in the Sun Belt. Centeio thrived as a distributor in this offense, getting the ball to talented playmakers like Agyei-Obese and wide receiver Kris Thornton. Centeio’s mobility unlocked an extra dimension for the offense, and he won Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week four different times during the season. While they can’t compete in the Sun Belt title game thanks to the NCAA transition rules, the Dukes have declared themselves the “Kings of the East” after grabbing the throne in their first season in FBS.
2nd: Coastal Carolina 9-2 (6-2), 69th in SP+
Coastal Carolina’s 2022 is an ultimate Rorschach test for Chanticleers supporters to determine if they are glass half-full or glass half-empty fans. The optimist finds joy in a 10-2 campaign, a Sun Belt Conference Championship Game appearance, another excellent – if abbreviated – season from Grayson McCall, and a number of clutch wins in league play. The pessimist can be frustrated by a defense that collapsed from previous year’s standards, a blowout loss to JMU which technically relegated the Chanticleers to runner-up in the East standings, and the distinct possibility that Jamey Chadwell will be moving on this offseason from this rather resource-strapped program. Choose your own adventure!
3rd: Marshall 8-4 (5-3), 60th in SP+
If the best defense in the Sun Belt isn’t in Troy, then it resides in Huntington, W.Va. Charles Huff’s stop unit spent most of the season in the top 15 of SP+ and finished ninth in that metric. The anchors are an excellent pair of NFL-bound cornerbacks with Sunday bloodlines – Steven Gilmore, Stephon’s brother, and Micah Abraham, Donnie’s son. That security blanket allowed a deep and talented front to wreak havoc, led by Owen Porter (9.5 sacks). After a historic upset in Week 2 over Notre Dame – in South Bend no less, in front of the inviting arms of Touchdown Jesus – the Herd stumbled in September before righting the ship and sweeping November. Freshman quarterback Cam Fancher supplanted Texas Tech transfer Henry Colombi, and Fancher’s mobility added an extra dimension that helped stabilize the run game down the stretch. Marshall is going to a bowl and thoroughly enjoyed its first season in the Sun Belt.
4th: Georgia Southern 6-6 (3-5), 88th in SP+
It was a fantastic debut season for Clay Helton as he remodeled this program from decades of triple-option success into a spread RPO Air Raid-adjacent look. The Eagles scored three dramatic, season-defining shootout wins: a win in Lincoln that put the final nail in the Scott Frost era, a home victory over previously unbeaten and ranked James Madison, and a double-overtime win over archrival Appalachian State in the season finale with bowl eligibility on the line for both programs. Quarterback Kyle Vantrease transferred from Buffalo and thrived in this offense, piling up yardage while distributing the ball to a quartet of excellent wide receivers. The defense was forgiving – hence all the shootout wins – and the Eagles will need to rebuild that side of the ball going forward, but what a thrilling debut for Helton and company in Statesboro.
5th: Appalachian State 6-6 (3-5), 66th in SP+
How much time do you have for this one? The Mountaineers just finished one of the weirdest college football seasons in recent memory. The season started with that incredible 63-61 game against North Carolina, which was followed by the monumental upset in College Station over Texas A&M. Then the ‘Neers hosted Troy – and College GameDay – and won on a Hail Mary. They followed this up by blowing a 28-3 lead to James Madison, and then laying perhaps the biggest egg of the season in San Marcos, getting destroyed by a woeful Texas State team. They appeared to be righting the ship, getting running back Camerun Peoples back from injury, but they dropped a pair to division foes Coastal and old rival Marshall. Because of a scheduling quirk, App State had two games against FCS teams and needed to get to seven wins total to earn bowl eligibility, despite entering the season as the preseason conference favorite. The Mountaineers lost the aforementioned epic game to Georgia Southern on rivalry weekend and will miss postseason play. The defense struggled all year in Boone, and there will be soul-searching on that side of the ball all offseason.
6th: Georgia State 4-8 (3-5), 79th in SP+
Georgia State finished the 2022 campaign with a 4-8 record in a head-scratching, strikes-and-gutters effort. The Panthers entered the season as a popular sleeper pick, due to a salty, veteran defense chock full of returning starters, their hot streak to end 2021, and quarterback Darren Grainger. They flashed their potential in a big win over rival Georgia Southern, a close loss to North Carolina from the ACC, and a dominant effort against Southern Mississippi. But they lost a baffling game to Charlotte, choked away a 20-point halftime lead over James Madison, and lost to UL-Monroe 31-28 despite allowing only one offensive touchdown in the game. The season could be summed up by the story of the midseason Thursday night game against Appalachian State, where the Panthers raced out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. The rushing attack was physical, Grainger was dominant, and the defense was making plays against App State. In the second half the offense struggled, the run defense collapsed, and the ‘Neers ran away with it 42-17. This was a representative sample of a disappointing season for Shawn Elliott’s outfit, and the three-year bowl game streak has been snapped in Atlanta.
7th: Old Dominion 3-9 (2-6), 107th in SP+
It was an unremarkable Sun Belt debut season for Old Dominion, although the Monarchs can hang their hat on a Week 1 win over in-state Power Five rival Virginia Tech. The story of the season can be written with their star players. Once NFL prospects Zack Kuntz (tight end) and Ali Jennings III (wide receiver) were lost for the season, the offense’s fortunes cratered. The defense struggled, but sophomore linebacker Jason Henderson was excellent all season and was one of the league’s breakout stars. And we can’t forget the real star of the show for the Monarchs: Hudson!
About the author
Born in Washington, DC, and living in New York City, I am the target demographic of the Big Ten's last expansion. I attended the University of Missouri in the Big 12 era, but I love life in the SEC. I am passionate about college football, baseball, board games, Star Wars, the written word, progressive politics, and the perfect slice of pizza.
