Sun Belt Sports Fans

MATCHUPS
Louisiana-Monroe at Louisiana-Lafayette
Troy at Navy
Florida International at Western Kentucky
Arkansas State at Florida Atlantic
Middle Tennessee at Tennessee
The headliner in this list of games is the matchup between
Florida International and Western Kentucky. One year ago, FIU won the league
while WKU finished in the bottom tier of the conference, a place it had become
accustomed to. Now, the Hilltoppers are improbably sitting above the Golden
Panthers in the conference standings. Western Kentucky’s only loss is to league
leader Arkansas State. Coach Willie Taggart is trying to do the unthinkable:
guide his team from a 2-10 season in …

SCORES
Florida International 23, Troy 20 (OT)
Western Kentucky 31, Louisiana-Monroe 28 (OT)
Arkansas State 37, North Texas 14
Louisiana-Lafayette 45, Middle Tennessee 20
The main story from week nine in the Sun Belt Conference was
the absolutely preposterous, ridiculous, clinically insane ending to an
off-the-hook game between Western Kentucky and Louisiana-Monroe. The fact that
Western Kentucky, so long a doormat in the Sun Belt, won the game is almost an
incidental matter in the larger scope of things.
With five minutes left in regulation in Monroe, Louisiana,
the home team was mounting a rally, but nobody in Malone Stadium could …

WEEK EIGHT REVIEW
SCORES
Arkansas State 34, Florida International 16
Western Kentucky 42, Louisiana-Lafayette 23
North Texas 38, Louisiana-Monroe 21
Middle Tennessee 38, Florida Atlantic 14
The main story from week eight in the Sun Belt Conference
was… two stories. A pair of developments demand equal time and attention, as
the league standings received two unexpected jolts. First of all, last Tuesday
night, Arkansas State announced its presence as a bona-fide league contender by
running away from defending champion Florida International in the fourth
quarter. Through the first 46 minutes of this game, ASU and FIU traded punches
in an intense, close-to-the-vest …

MATCHUPS
Florida International at Arkansas State
Louisiana-Lafayette at Western Kentucky
Louisiana-Monroe at North Texas
Middle Tennessee at Florida Atlantic
The headliner in this list of games is the Tuesday night
game between the Florida International Golden Panthers and the Arkansas State
Red Wolves. People who follow the Sun Belt will be interested to see how
Arkansas State fares in this contest. The Red Wolves have yet to play any of
the foremost contenders in the league, so FIU will take the measure of the ASU
program under first-year head coach Hugh Freeze. Arkansas State won on the road
against Louisiana-Monroe, showing …

SCORES
Western Kentucky 20, Florida Atlantic 0
UL-Monroe 38, Troy 10
Louisiana-Lafayette 30, North Texas 10
The main story from week seven in the Sun Belt Conference
was a shocking one. The 2010 season marked a slight decline from typical
standards for the Troy Trojans. Coach Larry Blakeney’s team won three Sun Belt
championships in a four-year span from 2006 through 2009. Then-quarterback Levi
Brown guided Troy’s offense with aplomb, consistently answering the call and
meeting the demands of almost every pressure-packed situation. North Texas
owned the Sun Belt in the earlier part of the past decade, but Troy became …

Matchups
Western Kentucky at Florida Atlantic
UL-Monroe at Troy
North Texas at Louisiana-Lafayette
The headliner in this list of games is Louisiana-Monroe at
Troy. Louisiana-Lafayette should handle North Texas at home, even though few
results can ever be etched into stone in the Sun Belt before they’re official.
It’s Warhawks-Trojans which will possess some urgency in week seven; two teams
smarting from conference losses will play what feels like an elimination game
of sorts. Troy has to hold serve at home if it wants to remain a contender,
while Monroe simply needs to go about the business of establishing itself …

SCORES
Western Kentucky 36, Middle Tennessee 33 (2OT)
Florida International 27, Akron 17
Louisiana-Lafayette 31, Troy 17
Arkansas State 24, Louisiana-Monroe 19
North Texas 31, Florida Atlantic 17
The main story from week six in the Sun Belt Conference was
the affirmation of the ascendancy of the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns. The
Sun Belt had been a relatively stable conference at the top over the previous
several years. North Texas (in the earlier part of the first decade of the 21st
century) and Troy (in the latter part) consistently ruled the roost in this
Southern-flavored FBS league, but last year, Florida International …

MATCHUPS
Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee
Florida International at Akron
Troy at Louisiana-Lafayette
Arkansas State at Louisiana-Monroe
Florida Atlantic at North Texas
The headliner in this list of games is clearly Troy at
Louisiana-Lafayette. Troy won three of four Sun Belt titles from 2006 through
2009, thanks to the right arm of star quarterback Levi Brown. Troy coach Larry
Blakeney found the perfect trigger man for his aggressive passing attack, and
the rest of the Sun Belt simply couldn’t keep up. Now, Troy goes into battle
with sophomore signal caller Corey Robinson. The second-year player took his
lumps in 2010 and struggled …

WEEK FIVE REVIEW
SCORES
Arkansas State 26, Western Kentucky 22
Tulsa 41, North Texas 24
Louisiana-Lafayette 37, Florida Atlantic 34
Duke 31, Florida International 27
Middle Tennessee 38, Memphis 31
Troy 24, UAB 23
The main story from week five in the Sun Belt Conference was
a downer. The defending champion in the league proved unable to fend off a
bottom-tier opponent from the Atlantic Coast Conference. Florida International
had taken down Louisville of the Big East; moreover, it had done so on the
road. The Golden Panthers then ambushed defending Conference USA champion
Central Florida, giving credence to the notion that their …

MATCHUPS
Arkansas State at Western Kentucky
North Texas at Tulsa
Florida Atlantic at Louisiana-Lafayette
Duke at Florida International
Memphis at Middle Tennessee
UAB at Troy
The headliner in this list of games is Florida Atlantic at
Louisiana-Lafayette. FAU played Auburn tough last week, so the Owls shouldn’t
roll over for ULL. However, the Cajuns are flying high after upsetting Florida
International on the road. If the Sun Belt’s pattern of wackiness continues,
Florida Atlantic will be in good shape. This is a crucial time for ULL to “hold
serve” at home and affirm its status as a league title contender.
Florida International should …