Sun Belt Power Rankings: Week Eight

You know, every now and then The Dark Knight is on TV. I'll watch it, and inevitably I think, "I totally understand where Heath Ledger Joker with cottonmouth is coming from." I love chaos. It enriches my soul. There is nothing like being 100% sure of something, and having the universe remind you that you don't know jack.

If things went to plan every time life would be boring, and sports would be pointless. That's why I gravitate to college football. Sure college basketball has its Cinderellas, but that's just paper chaos. Football gives you live action, what the hell is he doing, that was the strangest crap I've ever seen, honest to goodness chaos. What's even better is we have such a small sample set, only 12-14 games, to sort the whole thing out.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that somebody needs to pick off Georgia Southern. Nothing personal. I actually just ordered a Georgia Southern t-shirt, ,but I'm getting tired of this unanimous number one crap. And I would have said this whether UL won or lost last night.

I just want a little more chaos. There's nothing that warms my soul more than to watch the world burn.

1 Georgia Southern Eagles 5-2 (4-0)

Last week I said Georgia Southern needed to start putting on a show to hold their top spot, and that Arkansas State was breathing down their neck. Moral of the story is "Matt is dumb." All it took was a bye week and the Eagles have a stranglehold on #1. But we can't crown them yet. The Cajuns still don't have a conference loss, and the Eagles' next opponent, Georgia State, has been known to take some of the conference's top teams to the wire. Watch the bye week recap here.

2 Louisiana Ragin Cajuns 4-3 (3-0)

A few weeks ago, the Cajuns were ranked #6, and I wrote that this team could still run the table and win the conference. Now it looks like South Alabama and ULM could be the only things standing in their way. The Cajuns will be favored in both, and get the Jags at home. Who says you can't rise from the dead? Read the full recap here.

3 Arkansas State Red Wolves 4-3 (2-1)

This was a tough one for the Red Wolves to swallow. In the second half, this game could have swung from a blowout by the Cajuns, to a complete comeback by the Red Wolves when the refs decided to be selective with their whistle blowing. The Red Wolves benefited and got burned, but it set the tone for the rest of the game. This one got a little chippy, and Arkansas State may have seen their hopes of a fourth straight Sun Belt title evaporate right before their eyes. It's okay Red Wolf fans, there is always the chance ULM could beat Southern and UL, putting you back in contention.* Read the full recap here.

*Editor's Note: There isn't really much of a chance. Abandon all hope. I'm sorry.

4 South Alabama Jaguars 4-2 (3-1)

I would chastise the Jags for nearly losing to Georgia State, but a few of the other top teams in the conference almost lost to Georgia State. I will say that you need to get it together and take care of business against Troy this Friday. You'll need that win. I just looked at your November schedule, and I think I just threw up a little. Read the full recap here.

5 ULM Warhawks 3-3 (2-1)

You guys really screwed up scheduling this bye week. Still hunting in Area 2 doesn't start until next Saturday. Sure there's always bowhunting and primitive firearms, but you have to get close for those shots, and the Warhawks haven't snuck up on anyone since last year's game in Lafayette. Watch the full bye week recap here.

6 Texas State Bobcats 3-3 (1-1)

The Bobcats took a beating at home last Tuesday in what turned out to be a coming out game for the Cajuns. Was this game indicative of how bad Texas State is, or how good UL is? That's a serious question, because I have no idea. Read the full recap here.

7 Appalachian St. Mountaineers 2-5 (1-2)

Consider the next few team unranked, because even trying to put them in any order is foolish. I guess App. State doesn't suck this week because they put up a ton of points on Troy, who the week before put up a ton of points on New Mexico State. I guess it was a solid performance for a game that featured Al Groh in the broadcast booth. Read the full recap here.

8 Idaho Vandals 1-6 (1-4)

Holy shit. Idaho won a game. But we have no recap, so did it really happen?

9 Troy Trojans 1-6 (1-2)

Maybe Troy should have a different member of the staff announce they are resigning each week. It seemed to work out well against New Mexico State. This game however, should have been over at the half. Troy had no answer for Taylor Lamb, and Chandler Worthy can't score on every kickoff return. Get it fixed Troy. You can still surprise a few teams and nuke someone's season. Read the full recap here.

10 New Mexico State Aggies 2-6 (1-3)

If an aggie falls in Moscow, does anyone notice. Or did the locals eat the remains too quickly? Not saying the Kibbie Dome is Terminus. Just putting the question out there.

11 Georgia State Panthers 1-6 (0-4)

So I tweeted this when I noticed the score of this game in the fourth quarter.

Oh Lord Georgia State is beating South Alabama and if you understand what that means congrats you are a dork like me.

— Matthew Monte (@MatthewMonte) October 19, 2014

That's not to say I didn't think GSU could win that game. The Panthers will beat someone this season. Hell, they might beat a couple someones. So far they've played the top of the Sun Belt close (except for that Arkansas State game.) They will close a game out. But you're all still dorks. Read the full recap here.