Here's who will win 2022 Sun Belt Championship — and East and West divisions
The new-look Sun Belt begins play Friday, when new conference addition Old Dominion hosts Virginia Tech.
SBC commissioner Keith Gill has been as busy as any conference leader in college athletics, adding the Monarchs along with Marshall, James Madison and Southern Miss for the 2022 season.
Defending champion Louisiana and Appalachian State are the joint favorites to claim the Sun Belt title this season after meeting in the championship game last year, according to Vegas Insider.
Can one of the other contenders unseat that duo?
Here are our predictions.
UL:Projecting Louisiana football's depth chart ahead of opener vs. Southeastern Louisiana
ULM:Seth Hall named Louisiana-Monroe interim athletic director, effective Sept. 1
USM:Five Southern Miss football players who improved their stock in preseason practice
Emely Hernandez, Monroe News-Star
Sun Belt East order of finish: 1. Appalachian State. 2. Coastal Carolina. 3. Georgia State. 4. Marshall. 5. James Madison. 6. Old Dominion. 7. Georgia Southern.
Sun Belt West order of finish: 1. Louisiana. 2. Troy. 3. South Alabama. 4. Louisiana-Monroe. 5. Southern Miss. 6. Arkansas State. 7. Texas State.
Sun Belt champion: Appalachian State. UL stays hot for a shot at another conference title but turnover within the Ragin' Cajuns pushes App State to the title.
Cory Diaz, Lafayette Daily Advertiser
Sun Belt East order of finish: 1. Appalachian State. 2. Georgia State. 3. Coastal Carolina. 4. Marshall. 5. James Madison. 6. Old Dominion. 7. Georgia Southern.
Sun Belt West order of finish: 1. Troy. 2. Louisiana. 3. South Alabama. 4. Southern Miss. 5. Louisiana-Monroe. 6. Arkansas State. 7. Texas State.
Sun Belt champion: Appalachian State. Troy will upend prohibitive favorite UL en route to a conference title game berth, but the magic runs out there. App State, which has been there before several times, wins its fifth Sun Belt championship in the last seven years.
David Eckert, Hattiesburg American
Sun Belt East order of finish: 1. Appalachian State 2. Georgia State. 3. Marshall. 4. Coastal Carolina. 5. Old Dominion. 6. James Madison. 7. Georgia Southern.
Sun Belt West order of finish: 1. Troy. 2. Louisiana. 3. Southern Miss. 4. South Alabama. 5. Texas State. 6. Louisiana-Monroe. 7. Arkansas State.
Sun Belt Champion: Appalachian State. Should App State make it out of the gauntlet that is the Sun Belt East, it's difficult to pick against it in the title game given its wealth of experience in games of that magnitude. The Mountaineers have a strong quarterback in Chase Brice, and enough talent around him to win yet another conference title.
This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Sun Belt football predictions 2022: Here's who wins East, West divisions
