CONWAY – The Sun Belt Conference released the results of its preseason football poll on Thursday in advance of the conference’s media day that begins Sunday, July 22. In the polling of the league’s 10 head coaches, Coastal Carolina was picked to finish fifth in the East Division.
The 2018 season marks the first year that the Sun Belt is split into two divisions for football. The East and West Division champions will square off in the Sun Belt Championship at the conclusion of the regular season.
East
Appalachian State was picked to win the East, garnering six first-place votes and a total of 46 points. Troy, which finished 7-1 in conference alongside App State in 2017, finished second in the division with four first-place votes and a total of 44 points.
Georgia State (26 points) and Georgia Southern (22 points) finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the East. Coastal Carolina totaled 12 points in the poll.
West
Arkansas State was chosen as the overall preseason favorite, garnering nine first-place votes and a total of 49 points. The Red Wolves finished the 2017 campaign with a 6-2 record in Sun Belt games.
ULM took the second spot in the West with 37 points. South Alabama grabbed the conference’s final first-place vote, and totaled 26 points for third in the West. Louisiana (25 points) and Texas State (13 points) rounded out the division.
Coastal Carolina is entering its second season of Sun Belt competition. The Chants went 2-6 in conference play in 2017, closing out the regular season with a pair of wins against former Sun Belt member Idaho, and Georgia Southern.
The Sun Belt will release its Preseason All-Conference Teams on Friday at 10 a.m. The conference’s annual football media day is July 22-23 in New Orleans, La., at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
2018 Sun Belt Football Coaches Predicted Order of Finish (first place votes)
East Division
1. Appalachian State (6) – 46 pts
2. Troy (4) – 44 pts
3. Georgia State – 26 pts
4. Georgia Southern – 22 pts
5. Coastal Carolina – 12 pts
West Division
1. Arkansas State (9) – 49 pts
2. ULM – 37 pts
3. South Alabama (1) – 26 pts
4. Louisiana – 25 pts
5. Texas State – 13 pts