Caleb Wilfinger
It’s been a long and eventful offseason, and the 2025 college football season is nearly upon us. The battle for a spot in the newly revamped 12-team College Football Playoff begins on August 23 and won’t stop until we crown a champion in January. Last season’s National Championship game saw Ohio State dispatch Notre Dame to claim its first title in a decade. Who will reach the pinnacle of the sport in this updated playoff format this season? It’s almost time to find out.
With the offseason chaos in the rearview mirror, it’s time to delve into the futures market for each conference, and here we’re taking a look at the always entertaining Sun Belt Conference. This is a league with a couple of clear contenders at the top, but it also feels like one of the deeper conferences among the Group of 5. Let’s look at the latest college football odds for the Sun Belt, along with our NCAAF picks to win the Sun Belt Conference, which you can fade or follow at any of the best NCAAF betting sites this season.
Find out ALL of our college football futures predictions for the upcoming season by checking out our betting guide
Sun Belt Championship odds
Odds courtesy of FanDuel and/or DraftKings Sportsbook and available at time of publishing.
- James Madison +300
- Texas State +700
- Louisiana +700
- South Alabama +750
- Georgia Southern +900
- Old Dominion +1100
- Troy +1600
- Southern Miss +2000
- Appalachian State +2000
- Coastal Carolina +2000
- Arkansas State +2500
- Marshall +3000
- UL Monroe +3500
- Georgia State +5000
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Sun Belt contenders and Sun Belt Conference predictions
James Madison (+300)
There aren’t many coaches in the country that I’d take over Bob Chesney, and his track record is proven over the course of a 15-year sample at this point. Chesney is 120-50 as a head coach, and he led James Madison to a 9-4 record in his inaugural season as the coach of the Dukes. Furthermore, we’ll actually get to see Chesney reunite with Matthew Sluka, who was a 4-year starter at quarterback for Holy Cross during Chesney’s time in Worcester. Sluka’s return to playing within Chesney’s system should be a perfect marriage, especially after his stint in Las Vegas ended prematurely a season ago due to an NIL dispute. I have a feeling we’ll see a bit of redemption for the veteran quarterback in his new home this season.
Even outside of Sluka, there’s a lot to be excited about with this James Madison team. Offensively, the Dukes have a bevy of experienced, talented pieces at the skill positions (including plenty of transfers from successful programs) and on the offensive line. On the defensive side of things, this is a unit that could start as many as 7 seniors, and the Dukes also bring in Colin Hitschler as their new defensive coordinator. The former co-defensive coordinator at Alabama knows a thing or two about that side of the ball, and I’d expect his impact to be immediate this song. Lastly, this is a schedule that is very favorable within league play, so I’d fully expect James Madison to be in the conference title game.
Now read our expert’s Big Ten best bets if you want additional picks outside our Sun Belt football predictions
Texas State (+700)
2024 was supposed to be the year where it all panned out for Texas State. After all, the Bobcats had a schedule that was conducive to them making a run at the Sun Belt title and potentially pushing for a bid at the College Football Playoff, but things ultimately fell apart as the Bobcats dropped 3 of their final 6 games to end the year. Now, just 3 starters are returning for G.J. Kinne’s group, as the Bobcats rank 115th in returning production nationally. With that in mind, I have some questions about whether the excellence on offense will continue for Kinne and company, especially since the starting quarterback slot is not nailed down yet.
Defensively, the Bobcats are certainly not well-equipped in the secondary to handle a schedule that includes UTSA, Arizona State, James Madison, Louisiana, Southern Miss and South Alabama. This is going to be an offense-or-bust team, much like it has been over the last couple of seasons. Ultimately, I don’t have the Bobcats making the Sun Belt title game.
See our 2025 Heisman Trophy winner predictions, with our expert picking a longshot at 60/1 odds!
Louisiana (+700)
Louisiana’s 2024 season ended with a resounding thud, as the Ragin’ Cajuns were thrashed by Marshall in the Sun Belt title game, before getting crushed by TCU in a bowl game a few weeks later. However, Michael Desormeaux’s group should be near the top of the league once again this fall, thanks to former LSU quarterback Walker Howard, who joins Louisiana as the most talented player in program history to date. The upside is certainly there, but Howard is going to have to use his legs and hit the ground running, especially since this inexperienced Ragin’ Cajuns group at the skill positions is set for a date with Missouri on the road in early September.
On the defensive side of things, Louisiana lost 10 of its top 13 tackles from a season ago, most notably in the linebacker room and secondary. The saving grace for the Ragin’ Cajuns? Outside of a date with James Madison, most of their toughest Sun Belt games are at home, including a massive matchup against Texas State in November. With that in mind, even though I have major concerns with a defense that was outside the top 100 in rushing success rate allowed a season ago, I lean toward Louisiana as a better option to make the Sun Belt title game compared to the likes of Texas State or South Alabama.
Don’t miss our NCAAF National Championship best bets for the upcoming season, including a +4000 longshot!
Southern Miss (+2000)
Instead of touching on South Alabama, Old Dominion and/or Georgia Southern, I’m going to look a bit further down the board and focus on a Southern Miss team that might be one of the most fascinating programs in the nation this season. The Golden Eagles were absolutely horrendous a season ago, but they were fortunate enough to wipe the slate clean this offseason and somehow bring in Charles Huff, who was the (very successful) coach at Marshall for the last 4 seasons. Getting to hire the coach of the most recent conference champion is one thing, but Huff has also brought in former Utah State head coach Blake Anderson to be the offensive coordinator, along with a number of players from his Sun Belt winning team a year ago. That alone is enough to get excited about this Southern Miss team.
Braylon Braxton was undefeated as a starter a year ago, and he also posted a sparkling 19-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2024. He should flourish in Anderson’s offense, especially since the former Aggies head coach understands how to maximize Group of 5 talent. Furthermore, Southern Miss brings in a number of former Power 4 players in the backfield and at the wide receiver position. This should be one of the best offenses in the Sun Belt and it certainly helps matters that the Golden Eagles should improve on a -19 turnover margin a season ago. Given that the conference schedule isn’t all that daunting, I have nibbled a bit on the Eagles at 30-1 to win the league, as I think they can certainly win this weakened Sun Belt West.
Read our full Big 12 preview and predictions, including a best bet at +800 odds!
Sun Belt football predictions and best bet: James Madison to win the Sun Belt (+300)
Odds available at Fanatics Sportsbook at time of publishing. Playable to +250.
Even with some steam in the market over the summer, I have a hard time ignoring just how much better James Madison is compared to the rest of this league. As previously mentioned, Sluka should flourish in Chesney’s system, and the 6th-year quarterback has seen it all at this level and should know how to react to a litany of mediocre to below-average Sun Belt defenses. Even if Sluka gets banged up or is suddenly ineffective for any reason, there is a legitimate 3-headed monster under center with Alonza Barnett III and Cameron Coleman ready to step in and deliver at a moment’s notice.
The Dukes’ offense should be one of the top units in the Group of 5 and James Madison’s defense is one that should thrive given its pass rush improvements and a new scheme/style of coaching from Hitschler in his first season as defensive coordinator. The schedule lines up very well for JMU, with all of the road games in conference setting up nicely for a nearly unblemished Sun Belt record this year. With that in mind, I’d rather target the Dukes to win the Sun Belt at 3-1 than back an over 7.5 win total at heavy juice, especially since James Madison could very easily lose to Louisville or Liberty in the first few weeks of the season.
Read our full SEC preview and predictions, including a best bet at +480 odds!
