Football
11/22/2023 2:00:00 PM

WEEK 13 CONFERENCE NOTES

– The Sun Belt East Division berth and hosting rights for the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Football Championship Game will be on the line during a seven-game Week 13 slate that features four contests on national television. 
 
Troy can clinch hosting rights for the championship game for the second-straight year with a victory over Southern Miss on ESPNU, while App State and Coastal Carolina remain in contention for the Sun Belt East Division berth. App State will host Georgia Southern in the Deeper Than Hate rivalry on ESPNU and Coastal Carolina will welcome No. 24 James Madison to the Surf Turf on ESPN2. 
 
Louisiana, Marshall and Old Dominion can clinch bowl eligibility with victories Saturday, joining the Sun Belt Conference record nine programs that have already achieved the feat. 
 
WHAT TO WATCH FOR

• BRING IT ON HOME – Troy, which has already clinched the Sun Belt West Division and a spot in the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Football Championship Game, can clinch hosting rights for the event for the second-straight year with a victory at Southern Miss on Saturday, Nov. 25. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. on ESPNU. The Golden Eagles, who lead the all-time series 8-4, will attempt to play spoiler. If senior quarterback Gunnar Watson throws for at least 148 yards Saturday, it would mark just the third time in Trojans program history that Troy has had a 3,000-yard passer and a 1,000-yard rusher in the same season. Watson is 1-of-43 sixth-year quarterbacks at the FBS level—and the only one that has not transferred. 
• BATTLE ON THE BAYOU – Louisiana will commemorate the final game inside Cajun Field as currently configured on Saturday, Nov. 25, ahead of a major renovation that will be completed in time for the 2025 season—when it will be officially renamed as Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. Fittingly, the Ragin’ Cajuns will host in-state rival ULM in the Battle on the Bayou rivalry game on the occasion, with kickoff set for 2 p.m. on ESPN+. Louisiana owns a 31-26 advantage in the all-time series and has claimed 13-of-15 clashes since 2008. The Ragin’ Cajuns will need a win Saturday to clinch bowl eligibility for the program-record sixth-consecutive season. 
• DEEPER THAN HATE – App State remains in contention for a berth to the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Football Championship Game, as it welcomes long-time rival Georgia Southern to town. Kickoff in the Deeper Than Hate rivalry game is set for 2:30 p.m. on ESPNU. The Mountaineers will need a victory and a Coastal Carolina loss to No. 24 James Madison to advance to the championship game for the fourth time in the sixth-year history of the event. The Mountaineers lead the all-time series 21-16-1 and also hold the edge in Boone (14-5-1) and at the FBS level (5-4). As part of Saturday’s festivities in front of yet another sold-out crowd at Kidd Brewer Stadium, App State will retire quarterback Armanti Edwards’ No. 14 jersey at halftime. Edwards was a four-time All-American, two-time national champion and two-time National Player of the Year from 2006-09. 
• REMATCH? – Coastal Carolina will attempt to earn a rematch with Troy in the Hercules Tires Sun Belt Football Championship Game—the Trojans topped the Chanticleers 45-26 in the 2022 rendition. To do so, Coastal Carolina will have to unseat No. 24 James Madison on the Surf Turf at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 25, on ESPN2. The Dukes own a 2-1 lead in the all-time series, including a 47-7 victory in the first-ever meeting as Sun Belt Conference foes a year ago. With 38 wins since the start of the 2020 season, the Chanticleers trail only Georgia (48), Alabama (47) and Ohio State (40) over the span. A win Saturday would send Coastal Carolina to the championship game for the third time over the past four seasons. 
• AROUND THE SUN – Beyond rivalry games and games with Hercules Tires Sun Belt Football Championship Game implications, the seven-game Saturday slate features a pair of contests with a team seeking bowl eligibility on its home field. Old Dominion needs a win over Georgia State at 1 p.m. on ESPN+ and Marshall needs a victory over Arkansas State at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN+ to join the growing list of bowl eligible Sun Belt teams. Despite both being bowl eligible, South Alabama and Texas State have a lot to play for as they close out the Sun Belt football regular-season schedule at 6 p.m. on NFL Network. A win for the Jaguars would clinch the program’s second winning season at the FBS level. A win for the Bobcats would secure the first winning season since 2014. South Alabama and Texas State have split the all-time series 4-4, with the home team proving victorious in each of the eight prior matchups. 

 
WHERE TO WATCH
 

 
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