Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game

Last updated
Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game
Sun Belt Conference Football Championship.jpg
Sport Football
Conference Sun Belt
Played2018–present
Last contest 2024
Current champion Marshall
Most championships Appalachian State
Troy (2)
TV partner(s) ESPN
Official website Official site
Sponsors
Hercules Tires (2021–present)
Host stadiums
Kidd Brewer Stadium, Cajun Field, Veterans Memorial

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.

Contents

History

Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game
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300km
200miles
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Texas State
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Troy
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Southern Miss
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South Alabama
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Louisiana–Monroe
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Louisiana
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Arkansas State
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Old Dominion
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Marshall
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James Madison
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Georgia State
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Georgia Southern
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Coastal Carolina
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Appalachian State
Blue pog.svg – East Division
Red pog.svg – West Division

In 1987, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) approved a proposal made by two Division II conferences that allowed any conference with 12 football members to split into divisions and stage a championship game between the divisional winners, with that game not counting against NCAA limits on regular-season contests. However, the rule would not see its first use until 1992, when the Southeastern Conference, which had added Arkansas and South Carolina the previous year, launched its title game. In early 2016, NCAA legislation was passed that largely deregulated FBS conference championship games, allowing a conference with fewer than 12 teams to stage a championship game that featured either (1) the top two teams at the end of a full round-robin conference schedule, or (2) the winners of each of two divisions, with each team playing a full round-robin schedule within its division. [1] Several months later, the Sun Belt Conference announced that they would be introducing a football championship game starting in the 2018 season. [2]

In 2017, the conference announced the two divisions that teams would compete in, with division winners qualifying for the championship game. [3] [4] [5] As the conference would have 10 teams competing in football in the 2018 season, East and West divisions were created with five teams each, with the championship game to be played at the home stadium of the team with the best College Football Playoff ranking. If no teams are ranked in the CFP selection committee, the conference will determine home field using a formula based on six computer ratings that were used in the old Bowl Championship Series standings. Unlike the conference's sports of baseball and volleyball, which are also divided into divisions, the Jaguars of South Alabama competed in the West division rather than the East.

In 2018, Appalachian State qualified as the East division team, as they had defeated Troy head-to-head, with both teams finishing the regular season with 7–1 conference records. [6] Louisiana qualified as the West division team, as they had defeated Arkansas State head-to-head, with both teams finishing the regular season with 5–3 conference records. [6] In the inaugural championship game, Appalachian State defeated Louisiana, 30–19. The 2019 game was a rematch of the same teams, and again saw Appalachian State defeat Louisiana, this time by a score of 45–38.

The 2020 championship game, set to feature Coastal Carolina and Louisiana, [7] was canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic effects within the Coastal Carolina program. [8] As a result, the teams were declared co-champions for the 2020 season. [9]

The 2021 game saw Louisiana and Appalachian State in the title game for the third time; however, unlike their prior two championship meetings at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Louisiana won over Appalachian State 24–16 at Cajun Field for their first outright Sun Belt Conference title. [10]

With the addition of four new members in 2022—James Madison, Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss—the SBC adopted a new alignment for all divisional sports, with the new dividing line being the Alabama–Georgia border. Accordingly, James Madison, Marshall, and Old Dominion joined the East Division, with Southern Miss joining the West Division. Troy moved from the East to the West.

As of the upcoming 2024 season, the SBC is the only FBS conference that uses a divisional alignment in football. The other three conferences that had a divisional alignment in the 2023 season—the Big Ten, MAC, and SEC—eliminated their divisions after that season.

Results by year

Below are the results from all Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Games played. The winning team appears in bold font, on a background of their primary team color. Rankings are from the College Football Playoff committee ranking released prior to the game.

DateWest DivisionEast DivisionSiteAttendanceMVP
2018 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns 19 Appalachian State Mountaineers 30 Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, North Carolina 14,693RB Darrynton Evans, App State
2019 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns 3821 Appalachian State Mountaineers 4518,618
2020†19 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns –12 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers – Brooks Stadium • Conway, South Carolina ––
2021 24 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns 24 Appalachian State Mountaineers 16 Cajun Field • Lafayette, Louisiana 31,014QB Levi Lewis, Louisiana
2022 Troy Trojans 45 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 26 Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, Alabama 21,554QB Gunnar Watson, Troy
2023 Troy Trojans 49 Appalachian State Mountaineers 2320,183RB Kimani Vidal, Troy
2024 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns 3 Marshall Thundering Herd 31 Cajun Field • Lafayette, Louisiana 20,067QB Braylon Braxton, Marshall

† The 2020 game was canceled by Coastal Carolina due to COVID-19 issues.

Results by team

SelectionsSchoolWinsLossesWin %Year(s) wonYear(s) lostNo contest
5[[Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football|Louisiana]]13.25020212018, 2019, 20242020
4[[Appalachian State Mountaineers football|Appalachian State]]22.5002018, 20192021, 2023-
2[[Troy Trojans football|Troy]]201.0002022, 2023--
2[[Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football|Coastal Carolina]]01.000-20222020
1[[Marshall Thundering Herd football|Marshall]]101.0002024--

Game records

TeamRecord, Team vs. OpponentYear
Most points scored (one team)49, Troy vs. Appalachian State2023
Most points scored (losing team)38, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State2019
Fewest points scored (winning team)24, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State2021
Fewest points scored3, Louisiana vs. Marshall2024
Most points scored (both teams)83, Appalachian State (45) vs. Louisiana (38)2019
Fewest points scored (both teams)34, Marshall (31) vs. Louisiana (3)2024
Most points scored in a half35, Appalachian State (1st half) vs. Louisiana
35, Troy (2nd half) vs. Appalachian State		2019
2023
Most points scored in a half (both teams)52, Appalachian State vs. Louisiana (1st half)2019
Largest margin of victory28, Marshall (31) vs. Louisiana (3)2024
Smallest margin of victory7, Appalachian State (45) vs. Louisiana (38)2019
Total yards513, Louisiana (354 passing, 159 rushing) vs. Appalachian State2019
Rushing yards271, Troy vs. Appalachian State2023
Passing yards354, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State2019
First downs31, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State2019
Fewest yards allowed255, Marshall vs. Louisiana (199 passing, 56 rushing)2024
Fewest rushing yards allowed56, Marshall vs. Louisiana2021
Fewest passing yards allowed75, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State2018
IndividualRecord, Player, Team vs. OpponentYear
All-purpose yards233, Kimani Vidal, Troy vs. Appalachian State2023
Touchdowns responsible for5, Kimani Vidal, Troy vs. Appalachian State2023
Rushing yards233, Kimani Vidal, Troy vs. Appalachian State2023
Rushing touchdowns5, Kimani Vidal, Troy vs. Appalachian State2023
Passing yards354, Levi Lewis, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State2021
Passing touchdowns4, Levi Lewis, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State2019
Receiving yards134, RaJae' Johnson, Troy vs. Coastal Carolina2022
Receiving touchdowns2, shared by:
RaJae' Johnson, Troy vs. Coastal Carolina
Darrynton Evans, Appalachian State vs. Louisiana
Peter LeBlanc, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State		 
2022
2019
2019
Tackles13, Jacques Boudreaux, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State2019
Sacks2, shared by:
Javon Solomon, Troy vs. Appalachian State
Nick Hampton, Appalachian State vs. Louisiana
Zi’Yon Hill, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State		 
2023
2021
2021
Interceptions1, shared by multiple players, most recent:
Josh Moten, Marshall vs. Louisiana		 
2024
Long PlaysRecord, Player, Team vs. OpponentYear
Touchdown run56, Levi Lewis, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State2021
Touchdown pass67, RaJae' Johnson from Gunnar Watson, Troy vs. Coastal Carolina2022
Kickoff return97, Darrynton Evans, Appalachian State vs. Louisiana2018
Punt return12, Jacob Bernard, Louisiana vs. Marshall2024
Interception return32, Tae Hayes, Appalachian State vs. Louisiana2018
Field goal53, Stevie Artigue, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State2019
MiscellaneousRecord, Team vs. TeamYear
Game attendance31,014, Appalachian State at Louisiana2021
Source: Sun Belt Conference [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sun Belt Conference</span> U.S. college sports conference

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coastal Carolina Chanticleers</span> Sports teams of Coastal Carolina University

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football</span> Football team of Coastal Carolina University

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.

The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a conference of 14 universities which participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. As of the 2022 season, all 14 full members play football in the conference. Although the SBC was formed in 1976, it did not sponsor football until 2001.

The 2014 Sun Belt Conference football season was the 14th college football season for the Sun Belt Conference. During the 2014 season, eleven schools competed in Sun Belt football: Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Idaho, Louisiana–Lafayette, Louisiana–Monroe, New Mexico State, South Alabama, Texas State, and Troy.

The 2015 Sun Belt Conference football season was the 15th college football season for the Sun Belt Conference. During the 2015 season, eleven schools competed in Sun Belt football: Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Idaho, Louisiana–Lafayette, Louisiana–Monroe, New Mexico State, South Alabama, Texas State and Troy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team</span> American college football season

The 2016 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team represented Appalachian State University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Mountaineers played their home games at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina and competed in the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by fourth-year head coach Scott Satterfield. They finished the season 10–3, 7–1 in Sun Belt play to win a share of the Sun Belt championship with Arkansas State. They were invited to the Camellia Bowl where they defeated Toledo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Arkansas State Red Wolves football team</span> American college football season

The 2016 Arkansas State Red Wolves football team represented Arkansas State Red Wolves in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Red Wolves played their home games at Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro, Arkansas and competed in the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by third-year head coach Blake Anderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team</span> American college football season

The 2017 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team represented Appalachian State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Mountaineers played their home games at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina, and competed in the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by fifth-year head coach Scott Satterfield. They finished the season 9–4, 7–1 in Sun Belt play to earn a share of the Sun Belt championship for the second consecutive year. They received an invite to the Dollar General Bowl where they defeated Toledo for the second consecutive year in a bowl game.

The 2018 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Ragin' Cajuns played their home games at Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana and competed in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Billy Napier. They finished the season 7–7, 5–3 in Sun Belt play to finish in a tie for the West Division championship with Arkansas State. Due to their head-to-head win over Arkansas State, they represented the West Division in the inaugural Sun Belt Championship Game where they lost to East Division champion Appalachian State. They were invited to the Cure Bowl where they lost to Tulane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game</span> College football game

The 2018 Sun Belt Conference Championship Game was played on December 1, 2018, between the Mountaineers of Appalachian State and the Ragin' Cajuns from Louisiana. The game was played at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina, due to Appalachian State's better conference record. This was the second time these teams played this year; the first meeting finished 27–17 in the Mountaineers' favor. The winner of the game would play in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl while the loser would play in the Cure Bowl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Sun Belt Conference football season</span> Sports season

The 2019 Sun Belt Conference football season was the 18th season of college football play for the Sun Belt Conference. It was played from August 29, 2019 until January 2020. The Sun Belt Conference consists of 10 members in two divisions. It was part of the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season</span> American college football season

The 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the 152nd season of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at its highest level of competition, the Football Bowl Subdivision. The regular season began on August 28, 2021, and ended on December 11, 2021. The postseason began on December 17, with the main games ending on January 10, 2022, with the College Football Playoff National Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and the all-star portion of the post-season concluding with the inaugural HBCU Legacy Bowl on February 19, 2022. It was the eighth season of the College Football Playoff (CFP) system. It was the first time since 2016 that no major team finished the season undefeated as the Cincinnati Bearcats, the season's last undefeated team, were defeated in the 2021 Cotton Bowl Classic. The season's Heisman Trophy winner was Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young.

The 2021 Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football team represented the University of Louisiana at Monroe in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Warhawks played their home games at Malone Stadium in Monroe, Louisiana, and competed in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Terry Bowden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Sun Belt Conference football season</span> Sports season

The 2021 Sun Belt Conference football season was the 21st season of college football play for the Sun Belt Conference. The season began September 2, 2021 and concluded with its championship game on December 4, 2021. It was part of the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Sun Belt Conference consists of 10 football members split into two divisions. The conference released its schedule on March 1, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Sun Belt Conference football season</span> Sports season

The 2022 Sun Belt Conference football season is the 22nd season of college football play for the Sun Belt Conference (SBC). The season began on September 2, 2022, and will conclude with its conference championship game on December 3, 2022. It is part of the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The conference expanded to 14 football members for the 2022 season with the addition of 4 new member schools. The 14 members were divided into two divisions for play. The conference released its schedule on March 1, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2023 Sun Belt Conference football season</span> Sports season

The 2023 Sun Belt Conference football season was the 23rd season of college football play for the Sun Belt Conference (SBC). The season began on August 31, 2023, and ended with its conference championship game on December 2, 2023. It was part of the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The conference consists of 14 member schools split into two divisions. The conference released its full season schedule on February 24, 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 Sun Belt Conference football season</span> Sports season

The 2024 Sun Belt Conference football season will be the 24th season of college football play for the Sun Belt Conference (SBC). The season is scheduled to begin August 31, 2024 and conclude with the Conference Championship Game on December 7, 2024. The season will be part of the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The conference will consist of 14 football member split into two divisions. The conference released its full season scheduled on March 1, 2024.

The 2024 Sun Belt Conference baseball tournament was held at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama from May 21 to May 26. The tournament used a double-elimination format as in past years. The winner of the tournament, Southern Miss, earned the Sun Belt Conference's automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Division I baseball tournament. This was the second straight tournament title for Southern Miss, a team who has only been in the conference for two years.

References

  1. ↑ Dan Wolken (January 13, 2016). "NCAA members OK football championship games for all conferences". USA Today. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  2. ↑ Creg Stephenson (June 7, 2016). "Sun Belt Conference will add football championship game in 2018". AL.com. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  3. ↑ AP (May 23, 2017). "Sun Belt announces divisions starting in 2018 football season". ESPN. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  4. ↑ Tom Fornelli (May 23, 2017). "Sun Belt announces football divisions for 2018, new collaborative replay system". CBS Sports. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  5. ↑ Creg Stephenson (May 23, 2017). "Sun Belt football will split into divisions with addition of championship game in 2018". AL.com. Retrieved May 28, 2017.
  6. 1 2 "Appalachian State to Host Sun Belt Championship Against Louisiana". sunbeltsports.org. November 24, 2018. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  7. ↑ McVey, Rob (December 17, 2020). "Coastal Carolina and Louisiana meet for the second time on Saturday in the highly anticipated Sun Belt title game". athlonsports.com. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Sun Belt championship game canceled due to COVID issues". AL.com. December 18, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Coastal Carolina, Louisiana named co-champions after Sun Belt championship canceled". WBRC.com. December 18, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Louisiana Wins First Outright Conference Championship in Front of a Championship Game Record 31,014 at Cajun Field". Sun Belt Conference. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  11. ↑ "2024 Sun Belt Media Guide" (PDF). sunbeltsports.com. pp. 31–32. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
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