Will Southern Miss have success in the Sun Belt Conference? Here's what history says
HATTIESBURG — Southern Miss athletic programs have competed in Conference USA for 27 years.
Friday, the Golden Eagles will officially embark on something new.
That's when USM's move to the Sun Belt Conference goes into effect, aligning Southern Miss with a peer group that more closely fits its geographic footprint and its values.
But how do the Golden Eagles match up with their 13 Sun Belt competitors?
Southern Miss has played plenty of nonconference games against Sun Belt foes recently. USM also has no shortage of recent history with Old Dominion and Marshall, with both of those programs also leaving Conference USA for the Sun Belt.
Here's a look at how each Southern Miss program has fared against Sun Belt competition in the last five years.
(Note: Golf, cross country, and track and field have not been included in this story as they don't involve head-to-head competition. Beach volleyball has not been included, either, because it will not play in the Sun Belt.)
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Football
Record against future Sun Belt competitors: 4-4 (.500)
Overall record: 27-32 (.458)
Southern Miss football has played a nonconference game against a Sun Belt foe in each of the last five seasons.
Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama and Troy have each taken part in a home-and-home series against the Golde Eagles in that time frame. Southern Miss split with Louisiana-Monroe and Troy, and was swept by South Alabama.
The Golden Eagles' record against future Sun Belt foes is buoyed by two wins over Marshall in conference play in the last five years, elevating their record in our sample to 4-4.
Baseball
Record against future Sun Belt competitors: 30-12 (.714)
Overall record: 183-83 (.640)
Southern Miss baseball has been excellent for the last five years, winning 40 games in each season outside of 2020, which was shortened by the pandemic.
As the numbers show, the Golden Eagles have been particularly solid against future Sun Belt foes.
Remarkably, seven of Southern Miss' 12 losses within our sample came in midweek games against South Alabama, with the Jaguars giving the Golden Eagles a particularly hard time.
But no one else has been able to do much against Scott Berry's crew. The Golden Eagles are 7-0 against Marshall since 2018, and 7-2 against Old Dominion.
Women's basketball
Record against future Sun Belt competitors: 7-8 (.467)
Overall record: 73-68 (.518)
Joye Lee-McNelis' Golden Eagles are 5-2 over the last five seasons against Sun Belt foes in nonconference action. That includes a 3-0 showing last season, with victories over South Alabama, Louisiana-Monroe and Georgia State.
Southern Miss has found it difficult against Old Dominion and Marshall ately, though. As a result, the Golden Eagles have a 7-8 record against future Sun Belt members since 2017.
Men's basketball
Record against future Sun Belt competitors: 7-13 (.350)
Overall record: 60-96 (.385)
It hasn't been a good stretch for the Southern Miss men's basketball program, which has just one winning season in the last five.
The Golden Eagles posted their worst-ever season in 2021-22, with a .212 winning percentage. The difficult year featured three nonconference losses to Sun Belt teams, as well as a defeat to Marshall.
Southern Miss' last win over a Sun Belt program came in December 2020 against Louisiana-Monroe.
Softball
Record against future Sun Belt competitors: 6-11 (.353)
Overall record: 114-120 (.487)
It's been a struggle against Sun Belt competition for Southern Miss softball over the last five years.
The results in 2021 were more encouraging, though. The Golden Eagles won their only two games against future SBC members, besting Georgia Southern and Louisiana-Monroe.
Other sports
Women's Soccer record against future Sun Belt competitors: 5-3-1 (.611)
Overall record: 44-32-9 (.571)
Women's Volleyball record against future Sun Belt competitors: 6-7 (.462)
Overall record: 60-80 (.429)
Men's Tennis record against future Sun Belt competitors: 1-10 (.091)
Overall record: 43-26 (.623)
Women's Tennis record against future Sun Belt competitors: 4-4 (.500)
Overall record: 62-20 (.756)
Reach Southern Miss writer David Eckert at deckert@gannett.com or on Twitter @davideckert98.
This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: How Southern Miss has performed vs. the Sun Belt in the last 5 years
