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 14 member institutions of the Sun Belt are distributed across the Southern United States.
NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision independent schools are four-year institutions in the United States whose football programs are not part of a football conference. This means that FCS independents are not required to schedule each other for competition as conference schools do. As of the 2023 season, only Kennesaw State will be competing as an independent as they transition to FBS and join Conference USA in 2024.
Joseph Hugh Moglia is an American businessman and former football coach. He served as head football coach at Coastal Carolina University from 2012 to 2016 and again in 2018 after spending the 2017 season on medical leave. During his tenure, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers transitioned from the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). In six seasons, Coastal Carolina compiled a record of 56–22.
The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As of the 2023 season, there are 10 conferences and 133 schools in FBS.
The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers are the athletic teams that represent Coastal Carolina University. They participate in Division I of the NCAA as a member of the Sun Belt Conference (SBC) in most sports, having joined that conference as a full but non-football member on July 1, 2016. At that time, the football team began a transition from the second-level Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) to the top-level Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The team played the 2016 season as an FCS independent, joined SBC football for the 2017 season, and became full FBS members for 2018 and beyond. A Chanticleer is a proud and fierce rooster. Before joining the SBC, the Chanticleers had been members of the Big South Conference since that league's formation in 1983. Coastal fields varsity teams in 19 sports, 8 for men and 11 for women. The university regularly competed for the Sasser Cup, the Big South's trophy for the university with the best sports program among the member institutions, winning the trophy nine times, tied with rival Liberty University.
The Liberty Flames football program represents Liberty University, a private Christian university located in Lynchburg, Virginia, in college football. The Flames compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) as a member of Conference USA. The program, which previously competed in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), announced it would start a transition to the top level of NCAA football in July 2017. The Flames became a provisional FBS member in 2018, and became a full FBS member with bowl eligibility in 2019. In 2020, Liberty entered the rankings in the AP Poll at 25 for the first time in program history.
The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team represents Coastal Carolina University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Chanticleers are members of the Sun Belt Conference, fielding its teams at the FBS level since 2017. The Chanticleers play their home games at James C. Benton Field at Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina.
Although there are no major league professional franchises based in South Carolina, the state does have numerous minor league teams. The Carolina Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes major league professional teams are based in neighboring North Carolina. However, the Carolina Panthers, a professional American football team of the NFL, are based near the South Carolina border, have training facilities in Spartanburg, and have shown their desire to represent both of the Carolinas, with the motto "two states, one team". Similarly, Charlotte FC, a professional men's soccer club of MLS, is also based near the border and has a primary jersey which represents both states. College teams throughout the state represent their particular South Carolina institution, along with the state being a prime destination for golf and water sports.
The 2010–13 Sun Belt Conference realignment refers to the Sun Belt Conference dealing with several proposed and actual conference expansion and reduction plans among various NCAA conferences and institutions from 2010 to 2013.
The 2016 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team represented Coastal Carolina University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by fifth-year head coach Joe Moglia and played their home games at Brooks Stadium. They were in their first and only season as an FCS Independent. The Chanticleers joined the FBS Sun Belt Conference in July 2016 as a full but non-football member. The football team transitioned to FBS, joining Sun Belt football in 2017 and gaining full FBS membership and bowl eligibility in 2018. They finished the season .
The 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, was organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The NCAA Division I Football Championship Game was played on January 7, 2017, in Frisco, Texas. The James Madison Dukes defeated the Youngstown State Penguins, 28–14, to capture their second national championship in team history.
The Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game is an annual college football game that determines the season champion of the Sun Belt Conference (SBC). The game is played between the SBC regular-season divisional champions from the East and West divisions. First contested in 2018, the game is typically played on the first Saturday of December. The current champion is the Troy Trojans.
The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football statistical leaders are individual statistical leaders of the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football program in various categories, including passing, rushing, receiving, total offense, defensive stats, and kicking. Within those areas, the lists identify single-game, single-season, and career leaders. The Chanticleers represent Coastal Carolina University in the NCAA Division I Sun Belt Conference. Coastal joined the Sun Belt for non-football sports in 2016, began play in Sun Belt football in the second year of its transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2017, and became a full FBS member in 2018.
The 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States, was organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level. The FCS Championship Game was played on January 6, 2018, in Frisco, Texas. The North Dakota State Bison beat the James Madison Dukes, 17–13, to capture their sixth title in seven years.
The 2017 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team represented Coastal Carolina University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Chanticleers played their home games at the Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina, and competed in the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by interim head coach Jamey Chadwell, who also served as offense coordinator, while permanent head coach Joe Moglia was on leave due to medical issues. The season marked the Chanticleers' first year in the Sun Belt and the FBS, and their second of a two year transition period. They would not become bowl-eligible until the 2018 season. They finished the season 3–9, 2–6 in Sun Belt play to finish in a tie for 10th place.
The Coastal Carolina–Liberty football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team of Coastal Carolina University and Liberty Flames football team of Liberty University.
The 2021 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team represented Coastal Carolina University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Chanticleers were led by third-year head coach Jamey Chadwell and played their home games at Brooks Stadium. They competed as a member of the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference.
