Sun Belt Power Rankings 2023: South Alabama Set for Success

The Sun Belt is known as the "Fun Belt" for a reason, and our Sun Belt power rankings reveal several fun teams to watch in 2023. Some of the leading lights from 2022 are expected to be strong again, but as you get further down the rankings there are multiple teams with substantially less fun situations.

Sun Belt Power Rankings 2023

Our Sun Belt Power Rankings for the 2023 college football season takes into account a number of factors. Overall roster, coaching staff changes, schedule, and predicted record all play a part in ranking the 14 Sun Belt programs from first to worst.

1) South Alabama Jaguars

In just his second season in charge of the South Alabama Jaguars, Kane Wommack led his team to the first 10-win season of their short FBS history and were a four-point loss to Troy away from representing the West division in the Sun Belt Championship Game. Can they go one step better in 2023? Our Sun Belt power rankings suggest so, with Week 10's clash with the Trojans the key game on their 2023 schedule. 11 wins aren't out of the question with this Jaguars roster.

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The leading protagonists of last year's success are all back, starting with a stacked offense led by QB Carter Bradley. The sixth-year signal caller sprayed the ball around the field, making three 800+ yard receivers -- two of which return. If you can stop the passing attack, you've got 1,000+ yard rusher La'Damian Webb to contend with. A multi-faceted offense is weaponized by a stingy defense that returns all their most productive players. Yam Banks had six interceptions in 2022.

2) Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

Coastal Carolina is the complete wildcard of the Sun Belt power rankings this season. There are mixed expectations from across the college football landscape following the departure of head coach Jamey Chadwell to Liberty, and a raft of portal entrees and players with exhausted eligibility. Tim Beck enters the fray for his first head coaching role in the FBS having guided NC State's offense to 30+ points in two of the last three seasons. Can he orchestrate that same success?

Frankly, Coastal's offense shouldn't be a concern. They return three-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Grayson McCall at quarterback, the WR room features College Football Network's top two WRs in the conference, and the RB room is deeper than the Mariana Trench. No, the issue last season was a defense that gave up 40+ points on four separate occasions. Craig Naivar arrives from SMU as defensive coordinator to shore up a unit that could decide the fate of their 2023 season.

3) Troy Trojans

One season was all it took for Jon Sumrall to transform a team with three consecutive five-win seasons into the Sun Belt champions with their highest-ever AP Poll ranking. The fact that the reigning champions only come in third in our Sun Belt power rankings tells you everything you need to know about how competitive this conference is, and the slightest change can have substantial consequences. For Troy, the departure of defensive coordinator Shiel Wood could be that change.

The Trojans had one of the nation's top defensive units last fall, ranking eighth in the nation for scoring defense. Commanding edge presences Javon Solomon, Richard Jibunor, and T.J. Jackson all return, as do secondary standouts Dell Pettus and Reddy Steward. The loss of the NCAA's leading tackler of all time, Carlton Martial, may prove significant. There are playmakers on offense in Kimani Vidal and Jabre Barber, but they don't match up to their Sun Belt rivals on that side of the ball.

4) Marshall Thundering Herd

Overlook the Marshall Thundering Herd at your peril in the 2023 college football season. Charles Huff's program might begin the campaign just outside the top three of our Sun Belt power rankings, but they're better placed than anyone else to penetrate the upper echelon of the conference by the end of the season. They enter this season at the back of five consecutive wins to end 2022, and they return many of the players involved in the takedown of Notre Dame in South Bend.

However, the biggest influencer on the direction of the Thundering Herd in 2023 is running back Rasheen Ali. He missed a chunk of the season -- including that Notre Dame game -- but returned late in the season to show why he's not only the best in the Sun Belt, but a top-10 back in all of college football. Left tackle Ethan Driskell might be the second most important player for their offense. There are studs at all levels of defense but pay particular attention to Micah Abraham and Owen Porter.

5) James Madison Dukes

If it wasn't for a silly little thing like NCAA regulations, we'd be introducing the James Madison Dukes as the reigning Sun Belt East champions. Curt Cignetti's team took the league by storm during their first FBS campaign, going 8-3 and finishing the year with a top-25 scoring offense and defense. They prepared for FBS life in the right way and got the results they deserved, but our Sun Belt power rankings beg some questions about their potential to follow up in a similar fashion.

QB Todd Centeio was the spark plug of the offense last season, an unchallenged QB1, but there's a four-way fight to replace him which hasn't seen anyone separate themselves. That casts doubt on an offense that added several playmakers at WR, including Elijah Sarratt and Phoenix Sproles. Returning linebackers Taurus Jones and Jailin Walker are a huge boost for a defense that lost their best pass rusher in Isaac Ukwu, who will line up for Ole Miss in 2023.

6) Appalachian State Mountaineers

A consistent player in the race for the Sun Belt title, the Appalachian State Mountaineers have had more double-digit win seasons than not since arriving in the conference in 2014. Our point here is this; although they finished 2022 with their lowest overall and conference win total since returning to the FBS, you can never rule out Shawn Clark's team. That said, there are several factors that see them fall outside the top five of our initial Sun Belt power rankings for the 2023 season.

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The departure of offensive coordinator Kevin Barbay to Mississippi State after one season in Boone is a blow for a unit that also loses quarterback Chase Brice. JUCO standout Joey Aguilar could be the starter in Week 1 and boasts exciting but unproven FBS-level arm talent. The ground game led by Nate Noel could comfortably carry the offense, but there are defensive concerns too with the departure of Nick Hampton and long-time cornerback sensation Steven Jones.

7) Georgia Southern Eagles

Clay Helton staged a mini career revival last season with the Georgia Southern Eagles. Can he push on in year two and make the program a consistent competitor in the conference? Consistency was an issue last fall, beating Nebraska one week then losing to UAB the next, beating James Madison but then embarking on a three-game losing streak that included a loss to a below-par Louisiana team.

Their place in the Sun Belt power rankings suggests there's work to do. Tulsa quarterback Davis Brin comes in to take over Kyle Vantrease's 600+ passing attempts from last fall, and in Khaleb Hood he has one of the top pass catchers in the conference to reel them in. The defense limited their win total last fall, and as a result, they attracted Brandon Bailey back home to Statesboro as defensive coordinator. The loss of star power like Derrick Canteen won't help their cause.

8) Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns were less spicy and more slightly disappointing last fall. A program that had become a perennial conference contender under Billy Napier suffered some teething troubles under first-year head coach, Michael Desormeaux. There were some good wins against Marshall and Georgia Southern, but there were also so head-scratching losses to Louisiana-Monroe and Southern Miss, and they slumped to their lowest win total since 2017.

The program should be better in 2023, but how high can they climb the Sun Belt power rankings? Defensive departures like Trey Amos and Kam Pedescleaux could prove costly for a unit that was comfortably better than the offense in 2022. They have a spark plug at running back in Dre'lyn Washington who could emerge as the real force of the offense. Again, the unit could be limited unless one of Ben Wooldridge or Chandler Fields grasps the job by the horns and elevates the team.

9) Georgia State Panthers

Last season was the worst since 2018 for the Georgia State Panthers, going 4-8 overall and finishing under .500 in the Sun Belt. There's plenty of talent on Shawn Elliott's team, they just need to piece it all together this fall. Kickstarting their conference campaign on the road at Coastal isn't ideal for their chances, and neither is facing JMU, Troy, and Marshall in conference play. At least they play all three of those opponents at home, but it's still a tough schedule to navigate.

In Darren Grainger, they have the quarterback to compete with almost anyone in the conference offensively. Transfer WR Jacari Carter gives him a dangerous outlet, and Grainger himself is likely to lead the way on the ground once more. The defense let them down last fall and is a key factor in their Sun Belt power rankings position. The Panthers added former Coastal defensive coordinator Chad Staggs to their staff, alongside several power five transfers and Bucknell standout Gavin Pringle in order to try and resolve their defensive woes.

10) Southern Miss Golden Eagles

Will Hall led the Southern Miss Golden Eagles into the Sun Belt last fall and delivered a winning season and bowl eligibility at the first attempt. They surprised eventual Cotton Bowl winners Tulane in Week 4 and played both Coastal Carolina and South Alabama close in tight games down the stretch. They avoid Coastal this time around, but face a road trip to Mobile to play the Jaguars and take on Troy to end the year.

A brutal out-of-conference schedule features potential playoff team FSU, a repeat of the Tulane game, and a trip to Starkville to take on Mississippi State. That tough schedule impacts the Golden Eagles' place in our Sun Belt power rankings, as does the loss of their top defensive playmakers and the inconsistent QB from Zach Wilcke. You can never count out a team who has a talent like Frank Gore Jr. on the roster, however. A top-10 RB in the nation, Gore might be the team's best QB too.

11) Texas State Bobcats

They might feature down near the bottom of our Sun Belt power rankings for the 2023 college season, but that doesn't mean we're not excited for Texas State Bobcats football. With several teams that are around them in these rankings on their schedule, the Bobcats could easily overtake their two conference wins from last season in their first year under G.J. Kinne.

After impressing as offensive coordinator at UCF in 2021 and head coach at Incarnate Word last year, Kinne earns his first head coach role and brings his up-tempo offense to San Marcos. In Ashtyn Hawkins and Beau Corrales, he has an exciting WR duo to catch passes from whichever Auburn transfer wins the job. Malik Hornsby brings a level of athleticism that will be exciting to watch. A defensive overhaul might limit how far the offense can carry them, however.

12) Old Dominion Monarchs

Old Dominion really had one of the best running backs (Blake Watson) and tight ends (Zack Kuntz) in the Sun Belt, one of the best wide receivers in the nation (Ali Jennings III) and still finished 3-9 with two conference wins and the 116th ranked scoring offense in the nation. None of those players return for the 2023 college football season, and they also lost offensive line leader Nick Saldiveri to the NFL and quarterback Hayden Wolff to Western Michigan via the transfer portal.

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Long story short, the Monarchs are in a worse spot than last season, and could conceivably have been lower than this in the Sun Belt power rankings. The one saving grace is that they won't face South Alabama or Troy, but road trips to Marshall and JMU prove tricky. On a positive note, middle linebacker Jason Henderson returns after leading the nation with 186 tackles last fall.

13) Arkansas State Red Wolves

Arkansas State has won just one conference game in each of the two seasons that Butch Jones has been the head coach. No other team in the Sun Belt has won that few games in the time span, and understandably the Red Wolves begin the season down the bottom end of our Sun Belt power rankings. The question is, can they drag themselves past one conference win and elevate themselves in the conference? Neither their schedule or their roster gives you confidence in that.

The latter is somewhat unfair. In the returning Corey Rucker and fellow wide receiver Jeff Foreman, Arkansas State actually has two of the best pass catchers in the conference. But who are they catching passes from? JT Shrout arrives after spending some time as the starter but has been as inconsistent as the Red Wolves have been consistent in failing to put wins on the board. Melique Straker is an impact-maker on defense, but the loss of Kivon Bennett will hit them hard.

14) Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks

There ultimately isn't much to choose between the bottom three teams in the Sun Belt power rankings. If anything, the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks might be positioned better than the two teams ahead of them to make a leap this season. However, with Troy, South Alabama, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M all on their schedule, there are some substantial hurdles to overcome if they want to break through the four-win barrier that has been their ceiling under Terry Bowden.

Offensive coordinator Matt Kubik has stated he wants to embed a physical ground game this season and enlisted power five backs Thad Franklin Jr. and Isaiah Woullard to realize that vision. If they can get behind Tellek Lockette -- one of the best guards in the conference -- they may find success. With Chandler Rogers gone, wins via the passing game might be hard to come by. A defense that allowed 34.4 points per game welcomes transfer reinforcements but it might not be enough.