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Sun Belt Conference

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The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The 12 member institutions of the Sun Belt are distributed primarily across the southern United States.

Sun Belt Conference
AssociationNCAA
CommissionerKeith Gill (since 2019)
Sports fielded
  • 17
    • men's: 8
    • women's: 9
DivisionDivision I
SubdivisionFBS
RegionSouthern United States
Official websitewww.sunbeltsports.org
Locations
Location of teams in {{{title}}}

History

 
Map of full member institutions of the Sun Belt Conference since 2016

The Sun Belt Conference was founded on August 4, 1976, with the University of New Orleans, the University of South Alabama, Georgia State University, Jacksonville University, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and the University of South Florida. Over the next ten years the conference would add Western Kentucky University, Old Dominion University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and Virginia Commonwealth University. New Orleans was forced out of the league in 1980 due to its small on-campus gymnasium that the conference did not deem suitable for conference competition. New Orleans competed as an independent before joining the newly formed American South Conference in 1987.

After the 1990–91 basketball season, all members of the Sun Belt, except Western Kentucky, South Alabama, and Jacksonville, departed for other conferences. The Sun Belt, including incoming member in the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, then merged with the American South Conference, made up of Arkansas State University, Louisiana Tech University, the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette), the University of Texas–Pan American (now merged into the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley), New Orleans (re-joined), Lamar University, and the University of Central Florida. Although the American South was the larger conference, the merged league retained the Sun Belt name. In 1991, the league first began to explore the idea of sponsoring football.[1]

Central Florida left the league following the 1991–92 academic year due to a dispute over television rights, among other reasons.[2][3] Lamar, Texas–Pan American, and Jacksonville departed at the end of the 1997–98 academic year. Florida International University joined the Sun Belt in 1998, and the University of Denver was added in 1999. Louisiana Tech departed after the 2000–01 academic year.

 
The Sun Belt Conference headquarters are currently housed at the Caesars Superdome.

The conference did not sponsor football until 2001, when the league added former Big West Conference members New Mexico State University and the University of North Texas and former Ohio Valley Conference member (an FBS Independent on football) Middle Tennessee State University as full members (all three of them joined a year earlier for all sports in the 2000-01 school year) and added FBS Independent University of Louisiana at Monroe and Big West member University of Idaho as "football-only" members. These new members gave the Sun Belt seven football playing members in their first season, as Arkansas State and Louisiana–Lafayette were already full members which sponsored football. Another Big West school, Utah State University, was added as a "football-only" member in 2003, then departed in 2005 with Idaho and New Mexico State for the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).

In 2004, Troy University became a "football-only" member until the Trojans joined the conference in all sports, effectively in the 2005-06 academic year. In 2005, Florida Atlantic became a "football-only" member until the Owls joined the conference in all sports, effectively in the 2006-07 academic year. In 2006, Louisiana–Monroe joined the conference as an all-sports full member when the Warhawks left their former home, the Southland Conference.

Longtime Sun Belt member Western Kentucky joined the Sun Belt's football conference in 2009 after its Board of Regents voted to upgrade the school's football program to Division I FBS.[4]

On November 11, 2009, New Orleans announced it was investigating a move from Division I to the NCAA's Division III. In order to maintain athletic scholarships, UNO instead opted for entry into Division II. On April 20, 2011, UNO officially received transition approval from the NCAA Division II Membership Committee.[5] (UNO later decided to remain in Division I, and joined the Southland Conference in 2013.)

Early 2010s realignment

Main article: 2010–2013 Sun Belt Conference realignment
See also: 2010–2013 Conference USA realignment and 2010–2013 Western Athletic Conference realignment
 
The former Sun Belt Conference logo used until its rebranding in 2013

On April 9, 2012, Georgia State, one of the founding members of the Sun Belt Conference, announced that it would be returning to the conference as a full member in 2013. As part of the move, the football program began a transition from FCS to FBS in the 2012 season; it played a full Sun Belt schedule as a "transitional" FBS member in 2013, and became a full FBS member, with bowl eligibility, in 2014.[6] On May 2, 2012, Texas State University announced it would leave the WAC after just one year and join the Sun Belt in July 2013 to begin play for the 2013–14 academic year. At the press conference to announce Texas State's addition, Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson also hinted that more changes could be on the way for the conference.[7] On May 25, 2012, the conference announced that the University of Texas at Arlington (a non-football member) had accepted an invitation to join the conference and would become a full member by 2013.[8]

On May 4, 2012, FIU and North Texas announced that they would be leaving the Sun Belt for Conference USA on July 1, 2013 as part of a Conference USA expansion effort involving four other schools.[9] On November 29, 2012, Florida Atlantic and Middle Tennessee State announced that they would also leave the Sun Belt for Conference USA.[10] The move for Florida Atlantic and MTSU was originally scheduled to take place in 2014, however, the two schools announced on January 28, 2013 that they would leave for Conference USA a year early, departing on July 1, 2013 with FIU and North Texas. Western Kentucky also accepted an invitation to join Conference USA on April 1, 2013, and departed from the Sun Belt on July 1, 2014.[11]

These moves depleted the Sun Belt and made the need to expand their membership more urgent than ever, as the Sun Belt was left with ten full members and only eight members that sponsor football (the minimum number required for a conference to sponsor football at the FBS level) for the 2013 season. Appalachian State University accepted an invitation on March 27, 2013 to join the Sun Belt effective July 1, 2014.[12] Georgia Southern University accepted a similar Sun Belt invitation at the same time as Appalachian State.[13] Appalachian State and Georgia Southern both joined for all sports from the Southern Conference on July 1, 2014. Both schools had been very successful within the Football Championship Subdivision, combining to win nine national championships since 1985. They upgraded to the Football Bowl Subdivision, and were eligible for Sun Belt conference championships in 2014, but were not postseason-eligible in football until 2015.

The Sun Belt also granted football-only invites to Idaho and New Mexico State on March 28, 2013.[14] Idaho and New Mexico State were both former Sun Belt members (Idaho for football only, New Mexico State for all sports) from 2001 to 2005. The large number of defections from the WAC forced that conference to drop football after the 2012 season. Idaho and New Mexico State were the only remaining WAC members that sponsored football, and competed as FBS independents for the 2013 season before competing in the Sun Belt in 2014. Idaho is located by far the farthest away from the other Sun Belt conference members, but it was rejected by the Mountain West Conference,[15] leaving it with no other choice.[16][17]

On September 1, 2015, Coastal Carolina University accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt Conference. The university joined in all sports except for football starting July 1, 2016, with football joining in 2017.[18]

The conference announced on March 1, 2016, that the affiliation agreement with Idaho and New Mexico State would not be extended past the 2017 season.[19]

The conference announced that beginning in 2018, the conference (10 teams) would be divided into two divisions for football: East: Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, and Troy; West: Arkansas State, Louisiana, Louisiana–Monroe, South Alabama, and Texas State. The winner of each division will meet in the Sun Belt Championship game.[20]

Early 2020s realignment

Following the July 30, 2021 announcement of the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Oklahoma both moving from the Big 12 Conference to the Southeastern Conference,[21] the world of college athletics faced the prospect of realignment once again. The Big 12 responded on September 10 by adding three schools from the American Athletic Conference (The American) and BYU, an FBS independent and otherwise a member of the non-football West Coast Conference, effective in 2023.[22] The American in turn responded on October 21 by adding six schools from Conference USA (C-USA), with 2023 as the most likely entry date.[23][24] Following this move, rumors began to circulate that the Sun Belt was planning to take on another three members (the University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM), Marshall University, and former Sun Belt member Old Dominion University) from C-USA, likely in response to that conference's remaining teams worried of the conference folding.[25] These moves would help to establish the market areas for the Sun Belt and The American, which cover similar geographic footprints. The American would now have most of its members in metropolitan areas, while the Sun Belt would instead have its members in smaller college towns.

On October 22, The Action Network reported that Southern Miss had been accepted as a new Sun Belt member, with 2023 as the likely entry date. The report also stated that the Sun Belt would add three more members—the aforementioned Marshall and Old Dominion, plus James Madison University, a member of the FCS Colonial Athletic Association.[26] Southern Miss[27] and Old Dominion[28] were respectively announced as incoming members on October 26 and 27. Both are to join no later than 2023. On October 29, the day after Marshall named its next president,[29] both the Sun Belt and Marshall issued tweets announcing that school's entry; a formal announcement followed the next day[30] and an introductory press conference was held on November 1.[31] As for James Madison, its board met on October 29 to discuss a potential Sun Belt invitation, but its timeline is also affected by a Virginia state law that requires legislative approval for a four-year public school to move upward in athletic classification, including FCS to FBS. The legislative committee that must review the move will not meet until November 5, after the state's gubernatorial election.[32] The original Action Network report also stated that its two full non-football members, Little Rock and UT Arlington, would no longer be members of the conference after the 2022–23 school year.[26] On November 5, the committee unanimously approved JMU's move from the FCS to FBS and accepted an invitation to join the Sun Belt. [33]

Members

class=notpageimage|
Sun Belt Member locations
  – Full member
  – Full member, non football
  – Future member

Current members

Institution Location Founded Joined Type Enrollment Endowment
(millions)		 Nickname Colors
Appalachian State University Boone, North Carolina 1899 2014 Public 20,023[34] $122 Mountaineers    
Arkansas State University Jonesboro, Arkansas 1909 1991 13,891[35] $84 Red Wolves    
Coastal Carolina University Conway, South Carolina 1954 2016 10,894[36] $51 Chanticleers      
Georgia Southern University Statesboro, Georgia 1906 2014 27,459[37][38] $56 Eagles    
Georgia State University Atlanta, Georgia 1913 2013[a] 53,619[38] $179 Panthers    
University of Arkansas at Little Rock Little Rock, Arkansas 1927 1991 9,579[39] $80 Trojans      
University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, Louisiana 1898 1991 19,188[40] $153 Ragin' Cajuns    
University of Louisiana at Monroe Monroe, Louisiana 1931 2006[b] 9,060[41] $23 Warhawks    
University of South Alabama Mobile, Alabama 1963 1976 14,834[42] $576 Jaguars      
Texas State University San Marcos, Texas 1899 2013 38,231[43] $208 Bobcats    
University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, Texas 1895 2013 42,863[44] $159 Mavericks      
Troy University Troy, Alabama 1887 2005[c] 17,494[45] $129 Trojans      
  1. ^ Georgia State University left in 1981, then rejoined in 2013
  2. ^ Louisiana–Monroe — football was an affiliate member from 2001 to 2006
  3. ^ Troy football was an affiliate member in 2004-05

Future members

Institution Location Founded Joining Type Enrollment Endowment
(millions)		 Nickname Colors Current conference
Marshall University Huntington, West Virginia 1837 2023 Public 13,204[46] $147.2 Thundering Herd     Conference USA
Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia 1930 24,286[47] $265.8[48] Monarchs      
University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, Mississippi 1910 14,606[49] $136.3[50] Golden Eagles    

Former members

Institution Location Founded Joined Left Type Nickname Colors Subsequent
Conference 		Current
Conference
University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, Alabama 1969 1979 1991 Public Blazers     Great Midwest C-USA
(The American in 2023)
University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida 1963 1991 1992 Knights     ASUN The American
(Big 12 in 2023)
University of Denver Denver, Colorado 1864 1999 2012 Private Pioneers     WAC The Summit
Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, Florida 1961 2005[a] 2013 Public Owls     C-USA
(The American in 2023)
Florida International University Miami, Florida 1965 1998 Panthers     C-USA
Jacksonville University Jacksonville, Florida 1934 1976 1998 Private Dolphins     ASUN
Lamar University Beaumont, Texas 1923 1991 Public Cardinals     Southland WAC
Louisiana Tech University Ruston, Louisiana 1894 2001 Bulldogs & Lady Techsters     WAC C-USA
Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, Tennessee 1911 2000 2013 Blue Raiders     C-USA
New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico 1888 2005[b] Aggies     WAC
University of New Orleans New Orleans, Louisiana 1958 1976 1980 Privateers       Independent Southland
1991 2010 Independent
University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, North Carolina 1946 1976 1991 49ers     Metro C-USA
(The American in 2023)
University of North Texas Denton, Texas 1890 2000 2013 Mean Green     C-USA
(The American in 2023)
Old Dominion University Norfolk, Virginia 1930 1982 1991 Monarchs       Colonial C-USA
(rejoining Sun Belt in 2023)
University of South Florida Tampa, Florida 1956 1976 Bulls     Metro The American
University of Texas–Pan American[c] Edinburg, Texas 1927 1991 1998 Broncs     Independent WAC
Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia 1838 1979 1991 Rams     Metro Atlantic 10
Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, Kentucky 1906 1982 2014 Hilltoppers & Lady Toppers     C-USA
  1. ^ Florida Atlantic was an affiliate member in 2005–06 for football
  2. ^ New Mexico State was a full member from 2000 to 2005 and an affiliate member from 2014 to 2018 for football only.
  3. ^ Texas–Pan American — Merged into UTRGV in 2015; the merged school inherited UTPA's athletic program, with the new nickname of Vaqueros, and membership in the Western Athletic Conference.

Former affiliate members

Institution Location Founded Joined Left Type Nickname Colors Sport Conference
in Former
Sun Belt Sport[a]
University of Central Arkansas Conway, Arkansas 1907 2019 2021 Public Bears[b]     soccer (m) ASUN
Hartwick College Oneonta, New York 1797 2014 2018 Private Hawks     soccer (m) Empire 8
(NCAA D-III)
Howard University Washington, D.C. 1867 2021[c] Bison     Northeast
University of Idaho Moscow, Idaho 1889 2001 2005 Public Vandals     football Big Sky
2014 2018
New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, New Jersey 1881 2016 Highlanders     soccer (m) America East
New Mexico State University Las Cruces, New Mexico 1888 2018 Aggies     football FBS independent
Utah State University Logan, Utah 2003 2005 Aggies       Mountain West
  1. ^ In all cases except those of Howard and New Mexico State, this matches the school's primary conference affiliation. Howard is a full member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, including FCS football. New Mexico State is a full member of the Western Athletic Conference, which added FCS football in fall 2021; however, NMSU continues to play as an FBS independent.
  2. ^ Central Arkansas uses "Bears" only for men's teams, with women's teams known as "Sugar Bears". Men's soccer was the school's only Sun Belt sport.
  3. ^ Due to COVID-19 concerns, Howard chose not to play soccer in the 2020–21 school year, although the Sun Belt chose to hold a men's soccer season, with the four remaining men's soccer members playing a fall conference schedule and spring non-conference games to accommodate the NCAA's move of the Division I tournament from fall 2020 to spring 2021.

Membership timeline

 Full members (all sports)   Full members (non-football)   Associate members (football-only)   Associate members (other) 

Commissioners

In addition to the five Sun Belt commissioners, three future league leaders served on the Sun Belt staff prior to becoming conference commissioners, including Doug Elgin (Missouri Valley), John Iamarino (Northeast, Southern) and Tom Burnett (Southland).

On October 12, 2011, ESPN reported that Wright Waters would retire, effective July 1, 2012.[51] On February 15, 2012, Karl Benson was hired as the new commissioner of the Sun Belt, after having been the commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference for 17 years. Waters would later move his departure date to March 15, allowing Benson to take over at that time.[6]

Keith Gill was named the commissioner of the Sun Belt Conference on March 18, 2019.[7] [8] [9] [10] [11]

Sports

As of the current 2021–22 school year, the Sun Belt Conference sponsors championship competition in eight men's and nine women's NCAA sanctioned sports.[52] The most recent change to sports sponsorship was the dropping of men's soccer after the 2020–21 school year.

However, when Marshall was formally introduced as an incoming Sun Belt member, SBC commissioner Keith Gill also announced that the conference would reinstate men's soccer once all new members joined. Three current members sponsor the sport, as do two of the three confirmed incoming members (Marshall and Old Dominion). James Madison, expected to join alongside Marshall and Old Dominion, also sponsors men's soccer, and given the uncertain future of Conference USA, several men's soccer programs from that league have been seen as potential Sun Belt associates.[31]

Sport Men's Women's
Baseball
 Y
Basketball
 Y
 Y
Cross Country
 Y
 Y
Football
 Y
Golf
 Y
 Y
Soccer
[a]
 Y
Softball
 Y
Tennis
 Y
 Y
Track & Field Indoor
 Y
 Y
Track & Field Outdoor
 Y
 Y
Volleyball
 Y
  1. ^ To be reinstated no later than the 2023–24 school year.

Men's sponsored sports by school

Member-by-member sponsorship of the eight men's SBC sports for the 2021–22 academic year.

School Baseball Basketball Cross
Country		 Football Golf Tennis Track
& Field
Indoor		 Track
& Field
Outdoor		 Total
Sun Belt
Sports
Appalachian State  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  N  N  Y 6
Arkansas State  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  N  Y  Y 7
Coastal Carolina  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  N  Y 7
Georgia Southern  Y  Y  N  Y  Y  Y  N  N 5
Georgia State  Y  Y  N  Y  Y  Y  N  N 5
Little Rock  Y  Y  Y  N  Y  N  Y  Y 6
Louisiana  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 8
Louisiana–Monroe  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  N  Y  Y 7
South Alabama  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 8
Texas State  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  N  Y  Y 7
UT Arlington  Y  Y  Y  N  Y  Y  Y  Y 7
Troy  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  N  Y 7
Totals 12 12 10 10 12 7 7 10 80
Future members
Marshall  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  N  N  N 5
Old Dominion  Y  Y  N  Y  Y  Y  N  N 5
Southern Miss  Y  Y  N  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 7

Men's varsity sports not sponsored by the Sun Belt Conference which are played by Sun Belt schools:

Future members in gray.

School Sailing[a] Soccer Swimming &
Diving		 Wrestling
Appalachian State SoCon
Coastal Carolina C-USA
Georgia Southern MAC
Georgia State MAC
Little Rock Pac-12
Marshall C-USA
Old Dominion Independent C-USA CCSA
  1. ^ Sailing is a coeducational sport not governed by the NCAA, but instead by the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association.

Women's sponsored sports by school

Member-by-member sponsorship of the nine women's SBC sports for the 2021–22 academic year.

School Basketball Cross
Country		 Golf Soccer Softball Tennis Track
& Field
Indoor		 Track
& Field
Outdoor		 Volleyball Total
Sun Belt
Sports
Appalachian State  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 9
Arkansas State  Y  Y  Y  Y  N  Y  Y  Y  Y 8
Coastal Carolina  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 9
Georgia Southern  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 9
Georgia State  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 9
Little Rock  Y  Y  Y  Y  N  N  Y  Y  Y 7
Louisiana  Y  Y  N  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 8
Louisiana–Monroe  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 9
South Alabama  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 9
Texas State  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 9
UT Arlington  Y  Y  Y  N  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 8
Troy  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 9
Totals 12 12 11 11 10 11 12 12 12 103
Future members
Marshall  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 9
Old Dominion  Y  N  Y  Y  N  Y  N  N  Y 5
Southern Miss  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y  Y 9

Women's varsity sports not sponsored by the Sun Belt Conference which are played by Sun Belt schools:

Future members in gray.

School Beach
Volleyball		 Bowling Field
Hockey		 Lacrosse Rifle Rowing Sailing[a] Swimming
& Diving
Appalachian State MAC
Arkansas State SBL
Coastal Carolina C-USA ASUN
Georgia Southern SoCon CCSA
Georgia State C-USA
Little Rock MVC
Louisiana–Monroe C-USA
Marshall C-USA
Old Dominion Big East American American Independent C-USA
Southern Miss C-USA
  1. ^ Sailing is a coeducational sport not governed by the NCAA, but instead by the Inter-Collegiate Sailing Association.

Championships

See also: List of Sun Belt Conference champions

"RS" is regular season, "T" is tournament. Championships from the previous academic year are flagged with the calendar year in which the most recent season or tournament ended.

Current Sun Belt champions

NCAA champions

No current Sun Belt member has won an NCAA Division I team championship while a member of the conference. The only school to have won a national title while an SBC member was Old Dominion, which won one title in women's basketball and five in the non-SBC sport of field hockey during its first conference tenure from 1982 to 1991. Four current members and one other future member have won NCAA Division I team championships prior to joining the conference. Coastal Carolina won its only D-I national title on the day before it officially joined the Sun Belt.

Future members in gray.

School NCAA
titles 		Sport Years
Old Dominion
10
 Women's basketball 1985
Field hockey 1982 • 1983 • 1984 • 1988 • 1990 • 1991 • 1992 • 1998 • 2000
Georgia Southern
6
 Football (Division I-AA/FCS) 1985 • 1986 • 1989 • 1990 • 1999 • 2000
Appalachian State
3
 Football (Division I-AA/FCS) 2005 • 2006 • 2007
Marshall
3
 Football (Division I-AA/FCS) 1992 • 1996
Men's soccer 2020
Louisiana–Monroe
1
 Football (Division I-AA/FCS) 1987
Coastal Carolina
1
 Baseball 2016
Total 11

See also: List of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I championships, List of NCAA schools with the most Division I national championships, and NCAA Division I FBS Conferences

Football

For more information see Sun Belt Conference football. For the current season, see 2021 Sun Belt Conference football season.

West Division East Division
Arkansas State Appalachian State
Louisiana Coastal Carolina
Louisiana-Monroe Georgia Southern
South Alabama Georgia State
Texas State Troy

The Sun Belt first began sponsoring football in 2001. It originally consisted of seven football playing schools, three of which are still members of the conference. Up until 2009, the conference only had a contract with one bowl, the New Orleans Bowl. Following the Sun Belt's improved football success and geographical membership changes, other bowls began to sign contracts with the Sun Belt Conference. As of October 2021, the conference has seven bowl game tie-ins (Cure, Boca Raton, LendingTree, New Orleans, Myrtle Beach, Frisco, and Camellia)

Throughout the years, the conference has experienced flux in membership changes, similar to many other FBS conferences. The conference announced that beginning in 2018, the conference (10 teams after the departure of Idaho and New Mexico State)[53] will be divided into two divisions for football: East: Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, and Troy; West: Arkansas State, Louisiana, Louisiana–Monroe, South Alabama, and Texas State. The winner of each division will meet in the Sun Belt Championship game.[54]

[55][when?][failed verification]

Team First
Season 		All-Time
Record 		All-Time
Win % 		Bowl
Appearances 		Bowl
Record 		All-Time
Conference
Titles 		Current
Head Coach
Appalachian State 1928 643–343–28 .648 6 6–0 22 Shawn Clark
Arkansas State 1911 486–504–37 .491 8 3–5 14 Butch Jones
Coastal Carolina 2003 145–79 .647 1 0–1 9 Jamey Chadwell
Georgia Southern 1924 343–158–1 .684 4 3–1 11 Kevin Whitley
Georgia State 2010 43–91 .321 4 2–2 0 Shawn Elliott
Louisiana 1901 542–563–34 .491 9 6–3 13 Billy Napier
Louisiana–Monroe 1951 318–440–8 .420 1 0–1 5 Terry Bowden
South Alabama 2009 64–77 .454 2 0–2 0 Kane Wommack
Texas State 1904 540–474–35 .531 0 0–0 12 Jake Spavital
Troy 1909 552–421–28 .565 8 5–3 21 Chip Lindsey

Sun Belt champions

Starting in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS Season, the Sun Belt Conference held a football championship game.[56]

Season Champion Conference
Record
2001 Middle Tennessee State
North Texas
5–1
2002 North Texas
6–0
2003 North Texas
7–0
2004 North Texas
7–0
2005 Arkansas State
Louisiana–Lafayette
Louisiana–Monroe
5–2
2006 Middle Tennessee State
Troy
6–1
2007 Florida Atlantic
Troy
6–1
2008 Troy
6–1
2009 Troy
8–0
2010 Florida International
Troy
6–2
2011 Arkansas State
8–0
2012 Arkansas State
7–1
2013* Arkansas State
5–2
2014 Georgia Southern
8–0
2015 Arkansas State
8–0
2016 Appalachian State
Arkansas State
7–1
2017 Appalachian State
Troy
7–1
2018 Appalachian State
7–1
2019 Appalachian State
7–1
2020 Coastal Carolina
Louisiana
8-0
7-1
Notes
  • Louisiana–Lafayette vacated 2013 shared Sun Belt Conference co-championship due to major NCAA violations.[57]
  • The 2020 championship game was canceled due to COVID-19 issues; the divisional champions were declared league co-champions.

Bowl games

As of the 2021–22 NCAA football bowl games, the Sun Belt Conference has tie-ins with the following bowl games:

Name Location Opposing
conference
Boca Raton Bowl Boca Raton, Florida C–USA
Camellia Bowl Montgomery, Alabama MAC
Cure Bowl Orlando, Florida The American
Frisco Bowl Frisco, Texas The American
LendingTree Bowl Mobile, Alabama MAC
Myrtle Beach Bowl Myrtle Beach, South Carolina MAC
New Orleans Bowl New Orleans, Louisiana C–USA

Football rivalries

Conference play
Teams Rivalry
Name		 Trophy Meetings
(last)		 Record Series
Leader
Appalachian State Georgia Southern Deeper Than Hate — 34
(2020)		 18–15–1 Appalachian State
Louisiana Louisiana–Monroe Battle on the Bayou Wooden Boot 54
(2019)		 28–25 Louisiana
Georgia State Georgia Southern Modern Day Hate — 7
(2020)		 4–3 Georgia State
South Alabama Troy Battle for the Belt Belt 9
(2020)		 6–3 Troy
Non-conference play
Teams Rivalry
Name		 Trophy Meetings
(last)		 Record Series
Leader
Arkansas State Memphis Paint Bucket Bowl — 59
(2013)		 30–24–5 Memphis
Louisiana Lamar — Sabine Shoe 34
(2012)		 22–12 Louisiana
Louisiana McNeese State — Cajun Crown 37
(2007)		 20–15–2 McNeese State
Louisiana Southeastern Louisiana — Cypress Mug 38
(1981)		 18–17–3 Louisiana
Texas State Nicholls Battle for the Paddle Paddle 31
(2019)		 16–15 Nicholls
Troy Middle Tennessee Battle for the Palladium Palladium 20
(2012)		 12–8 Middle Tennessee
Troy UAB — — 12
(2014)		 7–5 Troy
Appalachian State Western Carolina Battle for the Old Mountain Jug Old Mountain Jug 78

(2013)

59–18–1 Appalachian State

Basketball

Main articles: Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Tournament and Sun Belt Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
See also: Sun Belt Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year

Since the 2018–19 season, the Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments, held in early March, have involved only 10 of the conference's 12 teams, and have been bracketed in a semi-stepladder format. The bottom four seeds play in the first round; the 5 and 6 seeds receive byes to the second round, the 3 and 4 seeds to the quarterfinals, and the top two seeds to the semifinals. The semifinals and finals are held in New Orleans; the 2019 men's and women's events were at Lakefront Arena, and from 2020 will be at Smoothie King Center.[58] Winners of the tournaments earn automatic bids to their respective NCAA Division I Basketball Tournament.

Season Men's
Regular Season
Champion 		Men's
Tournament
Champion 		Women's
Regular Season
Champion 		Women's
Tournament
Champion
1977 North Carolina–Charlotte No Regular Season No Tournament
1978 North Carolina–Charlotte New Orleans No Regular Season No Tournament
1979 South Alabama Jacksonville No Regular Season No Tournament
1980 South Alabama Virginia Commonwealth No Regular Season No Tournament
1981 Virginia Commonwealth No Regular Season No Tournament
1982 Alabama–Birmingham No Regular Season No Tournament
1983 Virginia Commonwealth Alabama–Birmingham Old Dominion
1984 Virginia Commonwealth Alabama–Birmingham Old Dominion
1985 Virginia Commonwealth Old Dominion
1986 Old Dominion Jacksonville Western Kentucky
1987 Western Kentucky Alabama–Birmingham Old Dominion
1988 North Carolina–Charlotte Old Dominion Western Kentucky
1989 South Alabama Old Dominion Western Kentucky
1990 Alabama–Birmingham South Florida Alabama–Birmingham Old Dominion
1991 South Alabama Alabama–Birmingham Western Kentucky
1992 Southwestern Louisiana Western Kentucky
1993 New Orleans Western Kentucky Western Kentucky
1994 Western Kentucky Southwestern Louisiana Louisiana Tech
1995 Western Kentucky Louisiana Tech Western Kentucky
1996 Arkansas–Little Rock New Orleans Louisiana Tech
1997 South Alabama Louisiana Tech
1998 South Alabama Louisiana Tech
1999 Louisiana Tech Arkansas State Louisiana Tech
2000 Louisiana–Lafayette Louisiana Tech
2001 Western Kentucky Louisiana Tech
2002 Western Kentucky Florida International
2003 Western Kentucky Western Kentucky
2004 Louisiana–Lafayette (vacated) South Alabama Middle Tennessee State
2005 Denver Louisiana–Lafayette (vacated) Western Kentucky Middle Tennessee State
2006 Western Kentucky South Alabama Western Kentucky Middle Tennessee
2007 South Alabama North Texas Middle Tennessee
2008 South Alabama Western Kentucky Western Kentucky
2009 Western Kentucky Middle Tennessee
2010 Troy North Texas Arkansas–Little Rock Middle Tennessee
2011 Florida Atlantic Arkansas–Little Rock Middle Tennessee
Arkansas–Little Rock 		Arkansas–Little Rock
2012 Middle Tennessee Western Kentucky Middle Tennessee Arkansas–Little Rock
2013 Middle Tennessee Western Kentucky Middle Tennessee Arkansas–Little Rock
2014 Georgia State Louisiana–Lafayette Arkansas State Western Kentucky
2015 Georgia State Arkansas–Little Rock
2016 Little Rock Arkansas State Troy
2017 UT Arlington Troy Little Rock Troy
2018 Louisiana Georgia State Little Rock
2019 Georgia State Little Rock
UT Arlington 		Little Rock
2020 Little Rock Tournament Cancelled Troy Tournament Cancelled
2021 Texas State Appalachian State Louisiana Troy

Baseball

Facilities

Future members in gray.

School Football
Stadium 		Capacity Basketball
Arena 		Capacity Baseball
Stadium 		Capacity
Appalachian State Kidd Brewer Stadium 30,000 Holmes Center 8,325 Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium 1,000[59]
Arkansas State Centennial Bank Stadium 30,406 First National Bank Arena 10,563 Tomlinson Stadium–Kell Field 1,200[60]
Coastal Carolina Brooks Stadium 20,000 HTC Center 3,370 Springs Brooks Stadium - Vrooman Field 5,400[61]
Georgia Southern Paulson Stadium 25,000 Hanner Fieldhouse 4,325[62] J. I. Clements Stadium 3,000
Georgia State Center Parc Stadium 24,333 GSU Sports Arena 3,854[63] GSU Baseball Complex 1,092
Little Rock
Non-football school
 Jack Stephens Center[a] 5,600[64] Gary Hogan Field 2,550
Louisiana Cajun Field 41,426 Cajundome[b] 12,068 M.L. Tigue Moore Field 6,000
Louisiana–Monroe Malone Stadium 27,617 Fant–Ewing Coliseum 7,085 Warhawk Field 1,800
Marshall Joan C. Edwards Stadium 38,227 Cam Henderson Center 9,048 Kennedy Center Field[c] 300
Old Dominion S.B. Ballard Stadium 22,480 Chartway Arena 8,472 Bed Metheny Baseball Complex 2,500
South Alabama Hancock Whitney Stadium 25,000 Mitchell Center 10,041 Eddie Stanky Field 4,500
Southern Miss M. M. Roberts Stadium 36,000 Reed Green Coliseum 8,095 Pete Taylor Park 4,300
Texas State Jim Wacker Field at Bobcat Stadium 30,000 Strahan Coliseum 10,000 Bobcat Ballpark 2,000
Troy Veterans Memorial Stadium 30,420 Trojan Arena 6,000[65] Riddle–Pace Field 2,000
UT Arlington
Non-football school
 College Park Center 7,000 Clay Gould Ballpark 1,600
Notes
  1. ^ Little Rock normally plays home basketball games on campus but occasionally plays at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock.
  2. ^ Louisiana's women's basketball team primarily plays at the Cajundome but occasionally plays at Earl K. Long Gymnasium on the main campus.
  3. ^ Due to the ballpark's location outside the Huntington floodwall near the Ohio River, Marshall frequently moves baseball games to two other facilities in West Virginia: Marshall is currently planning a new on-campus baseball park and expects to open it for the 2024 season.

Academics

Two of the Sun Belt's member schools, Georgia State and UT Arlington are doctorate-granting universities with "very high research activity," the highest classification given by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.[66]

Appalachian State is also currently ranked as one of the Top 10 regional schools in the South by the U.S. News & World Report.

University Affiliation Carnegie[66] Endowment[67] US News[68] Forbes[69]
Appalachian State University Public (UNC) Master's (Larger) $99,593,000[70] 6 (Regional: South) 377
Arkansas State University Public (ASU System) Research (High) $66,217,000[70] RNP (National) N/A[d 1]
Coastal Carolina University Public Master's (Larger) $39,432,000[70] 48 (Regional: South) N/A[d 2]
Georgia Southern University Public (USG System) Research (High) $50,999,000[70] RNP (National) 391
Georgia State University Public (USG System) Research (Very High) $155,303,000[70] 239 (National) 241
University of Arkansas at Little Rock Public (UA System) Research (High) $70,080,000[70] RNP (National) N/A[d 3]
University of Louisiana at Lafayette Public (UL System) Research (High) $178,300,000[71] RNP (National) N/A[d 4]
University of Louisiana at Monroe Public (UL System) Doctoral/Research $23,158,000[72] RNP (National) N/A[d 5]
University of South Alabama Public Research (High) $555,735,000[70] RNP (National) N/A[d 6]
Texas State University Public (TSU System) Research (High) $186,676,000[70] RNP (National) 407
University of Texas at Arlington Public (UT System) Research (Very High) $155,277,000[73] 288 (National) 253
Troy University Public (TU System) Master's (Larger) $104,409,000[70] 44 (Regional: South) N/A[d 7]

Notes

  1. ^ Arkansas State is not ranked in the 2021 Forbes America's Best Colleges rankings.
  2. ^ Coastal Carolina is not ranked in the 2021 Forbes America's Best Colleges rankings.
  3. ^ Little Rock is not ranked in the 2021 Forbes America's Best Colleges rankings.
  4. ^ Louisiana is not ranked in the 2021 Forbes America's Best Colleges rankings.
  5. ^ Louisiana-Monroe is not ranked in the 2021 Forbes America's Best Colleges rankings.
  6. ^ South Alabama is not ranked in the 2021 Forbes America's Best Colleges rankings.
  7. ^ Troy is not ranked in the 2021 Forbes America's Best Colleges rankings.

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