2015 Sun Belt Conference Roundtable, Part Two

The conclusion of our riveting discussion from yesterday...

Nicolas: Can either Georgia Southern or ULM beat Georgia?

Haisten: Uh, HELL YEA Georgia Southern can be Georgia! Obviously the stars will need to align, but the Eagles have had success against UGA in the past. The '04 team scored more points on Georgia than anyone else that year, and in 2012 Southern would have gone into halftime with a lead if not for a bogus chop block call.

The Dawgs are breaking in a new QB and OC and GSU's offense has had no trouble against P5 teams of late. Turnovers will be the biggest thing. If not for late fumbles Southern beats Ga Tech and NC State in 2014. That absolutely cannot happen.

ULM... sorry, I don't see it.

Thomas: ULM will probably get blown out and the Dawgz won't overlook GaSo, so nope.

Cody: Can Georgia Southern or ULM beat Georgia? Well sure either can, but I'm not betting that it will happen. The triple option creates headaches for the opponent but Georgia at least gets to see it every year when they play Georgia Tech. There's no doubt the Eagles are talented but how deep do they go?

The biggest separator between the "big boys" and underdogs is depth. I think Georgia Southern keeps it close, but Georgia pulls away at the end. This will be a game into the fourth quarter. As far as ULM goes, they certainly have a defense to make Georgia sweat for a series or two, but without any offensive production the Warhawks will stay grounded.

CBG: If I understand this question properly, the spirit isn't so much as to determine whether it is possible--because anything's posssssiiiiiiiibllllllle!--but whether it is likely. Let's say that neither of those possible upsets is likely to me. ULM has a stingy defense but no offense to speak of, while Georgia Southern has a (#hotsportstake alert) #gimmickoffense.

Meanwhile, Georgia is in the SEC and the SEC is still boss. (I live in 2013.)

Karl: Probably not. If it were earlier in the season for Southern I would like their chances a bit more. Unless there are major injuries on both sides of the ball for UGA, I am not sure how Southern will be able to stay in the game.

Will: Mark Richt has gotten a lot of heat at Georgia for not taking the 'Dawgs to the highest level, but he has never lost a game against the 'Belt and his only loss to a G5 program was Boise State. I don't think either of them win, but I could see GSU putting a healthy scare into the 'Dawgs like they did Tech. I don't have any faith in ULM until they develop an offense again.

Nicolas: Who is going to get boned harder: NMSU playing Florida and Ole Miss, Idaho playing Auburn and USC... or ULM playing Bama and Georgia?

Haisten: Idaho. Auburn has such a dynamic offense and the talent discrepancy will be enormous in both contests. The Vandals have a decent pass game but even that suffers from a lot of interceptions. Both of those will be just brutal. 'Bama and Georgia aren't big on running up the score, and Florida may not have the firepower to hang a huge number just yet.

Thomas: It's a tie between NMSU and Idaho. Depends on if Ole Miss on Oct 10 or Auburn on Nov 21 will be angrier for whatever reason. Probably Ole Miss so if I have to choose one, I'll go with NMSU.

Cody: For Idaho's sake I sure hope both Auburn and USC are nice enough to take the Vandals out to dinner before they f**k them. If no dinner, at least a grease monkey would be nice.

CBG: Whenever the question is to determine the biggest margin of defeat, smart money is usually on NMSU... and yet, half of the Aggies' two games are against the Gators. Let's go for Idaho, which faces two challenging (and very different) offenses. Because at least ULM has a defense.

Karl: I think NMSU could be walking into a much worse game that expected with UF. (It would have been my pick had it been listed in question #1). New coach, new system, wants to appease the blood thirsty Swamp crowd. That said, ULM playing both Georgia and Bama is rough- but I guess the checks won't bounce.

Will: I'd say NMSU because their offense is their livelihood and they'll face two of the fastest, hardest-hitting, and assignment-sound defenses in the country. There are going to be some very, very beaten up offensive linemen in Las Cruces by the end of their out of conference slate.

Nicolas: What is your pick for most likely upset?

Haisten: ULL over Kentucky is tempting as the Cajuns have been a top Sun Belt program for several years now. The other one that stands out is Georgia Southern over WVU. The Fritzkreig should have a few more wrinkles in year 2 and it's not an easy offense to prep for in any case. Not that I'm biased or anything.

Thomas: Arkansas State over Mizzou, simply because it's a home game for the Red Wolves and they'll have several weapons to throw at the Tigers.

Cody: Is ULM over Tulsa an upset? If we're basing this simply off of conference affiliations, then I like the Warhawks to "upset" the Golden Hurricane.

CBG: I'll die on the Red Wolves' hill so I'll take A-State over Mizzou as the most likely upset. It's a home game for head coach Blake Anderson and he'll have a veteran and potent/prolific offense. There is overhaul in the Red Wolves defensive back line, but this might be a good thing.

Karl: South Alabama at Nebraska could be interesting. The players at Nebraska really weren't happy about the coaching change so, could be an interesting start to a season with BYU, South Alabama, and them @Miami.

Will: Arkansas State over Mizzou. The Red Wolves are reloading next season and could be a smart pick to win the entire 'Belt. This is also the kind of game that Gary Pinkel has been known to lose in the past (I see you, Troy).

What do you think? Comment below.