Sun Belt Conference Championship Title Odds, Picks, and 2022 Preview: Appalachian State Looking For Revenge

The Sun Belt Conference was put squarely on the map with a breakout season in 2020, as Coastal Carolina cracked the top ten of the AP poll in a conference with no team ranked better than 19th in its history. That year, the Sun Belt Championship Game between Coastal Carolina and Louisiana-Lafayette was the first-ever ranked matchup in conference history.

The Sun Belt has been nicknamed the “Fun Belt” now that many more of its members have risen to national prominence. This year, the conference will have even more excitement as it added four new teams (James Madison, Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Mississippi) to form a 14-team league. However, one will notice that JMU will not have odds to compete for a Sun Belt title, nor will they be able to attain bowl eligibility. That is a standard stipulations for programs in their first year as they move from the FCS to the FBS level.

Here are our picks and predictions to win the Sun Belt Conference title in 2022 based on the odds from our top-rated sportsbooks.

Sun Belt Championship Title Odds

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Sun Belt Championship Title Picks

Appalachian State to win Sun Belt Championship (+250 viaCaesars Sportsbook)Troy Over 6.5 regular-season wins (-110 via DraftKings Sportsbook)Louisiana-Lafayette Over 8.5 regular-season wins (-120 via DraftKings)

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Sun Belt Championship Preview

App State to win Sun Belt Championship (+250)

App State made it to the Sun Belt Championship Game last year and lost 24-16 to ULL. The Mountaineers play in the much more competitive East division than the West, as they are likely to be pushed by first-year member Marshall, Coastal Carolina, and Georgia State for the division title. However, the fact that the Mountaineers have the best odds to win the conference at +250 indicates the talent they return from last year’s 10-win team.

Appalachian State has one of the best quarterbacks in the conference in Chase Brice. The former Clemson commit and Duke starter, Brice amassed 30 total touchdowns and 3,337 passing yards last year, but Appalachian State’s strong point may be on the other side of the ball. Their defense has been top-four in the conference in yards per play allowed for eight consecutive seasons. It is elite in the secondary, returning many veterans who helped the unit become the conference’s second-best unit in pass efficiency last year.

https://twitter.com/AppState_FB/status/1542646207931113474

Troy Over 6.5 regular-season wins (-110)

Troy benefits significantly from the four-team addition to the Sun Belt, as realignment moved them to the less-competitive West division. That should help the Trojans improve from a five-win campaign a season ago, as they are now only facing two of the East division’s toughest teams in App State and Marshall as crossover opponents.

The Trojans return four starters on the offensive line, and the offense will look much improved from a unit that averaged 22.8 ppg last year as Joe Craddock — former offensive coordinator at SMU and Arkansas — takes over the play-calling duties.

Louisiana-Lafayette Over 8.5 regular-season wins (-120)

Of the eight FBS conferences that splits its teams into two divisions, no team dominated its division more than ULL. The Ragin’ Cajuns clinched their spot in the Sun Belt title game early in the year, as they eventually finished five games better in league play than second-place finisher Texas State. Realignment should give them slightly more competition this year, but this team still has plenty of talent.

The schedule makers were kind to ULL, as they avoid three of the four best teams from the East in App State, Coastal, Georgia State, and Troy, who figures to be its stiffest competition in the division. The Ragin’ Cajuns’ preseason expectations are much lower compared to last year’s team that finished No. 16 in the final AP poll, as they lost head coach Billy Napier to Florida. However, new head coach Michael Desormeaux was with the team last year as the co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach. Based on their New Orleans Bowl victory over Marshall in his first game, they should be just fine in his first year at the helm.

Sun Belt Conference Standings

East Division

Appalachian State Mountaineers (10-4, 7-1)Georgia State Panthers (8-6, 6-2)Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (11-2, 6-2)Troy Trojans (5-7, 3-5)Georgia Southern Eagles (3-8, 2-6)

West Division

Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (13-1, 8-0)Texas State Bobcats (4-8, 3-5)Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (4-8, 2-6)South Alabama Jaguars (5-7, 2-6)Arkansas State Red Wolves (2-10, 1-7)

Where to Bet Sun Belt Championship Odds

Here are our top-rated sportsbooks:

FanDuel SportsbookCaesars SportsbookDraftKings SportsbookPointsBetBetMGM

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Sun Belt championship odds and picks made 7/5/2022 at 10:36 p.m. ET.