The road to the 2025 College Football Playoffs almost certainly does not start within the Sun Belt Conference, but that doesn’t mean you can’t bet on who will win this conference.

This was a conference that produced just two 10+ wins teams a year ago, with Marshall and Louisiana being their best bets to contend for the College Football Championship. Unsurprisingly, that was never a realistic plight for either team, and if you’re going to bet on Sun Belt squads, it’s best to keep it within the conference.

With that, who has the best 2025 Sun Belt Conference odds, and who is most likely to win? Marshall will obviously be trying to repeat after winning last year, but do they have what it takes to defend their title? 

I’ll answer those questions and more as I dig into the latest pricing, the top contenders, and my favorite sleeper pick en route to a 2025 Sun Belt prediction.

What Teams Are In The Sun Belt Conference Conference?

The following College Football teams currently play in the Sun Belt Conference:

• Appalachian State Mountaineers: joined 2014
• Coastal Carolina Chanticleers: joined 2016
• Georgia Southern Eagles: joined 2014
• Georgia State Panthers: joined 2013
• Troy Trojans: joined 2004
• Arkansas State Red Wolves: joined 2021
• Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns: joined 2001
• Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks: joined 2006
• South Alabama Jaguars: joined 1976
• Texas State Bobcats: joined 2013
• Marshall Thundering Herd: joined 2022
• Old Dominion Monarchs: joined 2022
• James Madison Dukes: joined 2022
• Southern Miss Golden Eagles: joined 2022

When Is The Sun Belt Conference Championship Football Game? 

This year’s Sun Belt Conference title game will be played on Friday, December 5th, 2025. The division winner with the best record will host the game and it will be aired on ESPN at 7:00 pm EST.

Sun Belt Conference Odds

Check out the latest NCAAF odds for the Sun Belt Conference Conference, courtesy of the top sports betting sites:

Definitely don’t bet on the Georgia State Panthers to win the Sun Belt title, I guess. They come into 2025 with the worst Sun Belt Conference betting odds and were just 1-7 in conference play in 2024.

While they stand out among the poor bets, this division appears to be wide open. James Madison projects to take a significant leap, as they were 9-4 overall last season, but were a middling 4-4 in conference play.

The big takeaway is the free fall from Marshall, last year’s champ. They were the best team in the Sun Belt Conference throughout last year, but roster turnover makes them a poor bet (or an amazing value?).

Even more interesting, of course, is the fact that six teams in total have a price of +1000 or better to win this conference. What does that tell us? That nobody knows who will win.

I have some idea as to which way I’ll lean, though, and you can always turn to the best sports handicappers online, too.

Smash You NCAAF Bets
With The Industry’s Best

Handicapping Membership

Get Free Trial

Sun Belt Conference Conference Favorites

The following College Football teams are considered the favorites to win the Sun Belt Conference Conference: 

James Madison (+250)

The James Madison Dukes are shaping up to be the likely winner of the Sun Belt football conference in 2024. This is a team that did struggle within the conference in 2024, but they were solid overall, going 5-0 outside of conference play.

James Madison has honestly been pretty good for years. Even before Bob Chesney took over last year, this was a team that got 10+ wins in three of its last five seasons. In Chesney’s first year at the helm, they pushed for 10 wins yet again and were one heck of a force on offense (12th in scoring).

I don’t care what conference you play in; you don’t average 35 points per game by accident. The Dukes were tough to stop offensively, operating at an 85% clip in the red-zone and offering a balanced offense that was especially lethal on the ground (19th in rushing yards per game).

James Madison leaned on star running back George Pettaway, who turned out to be a brilliant transfer from North Carolina. He was hyper efficient and explosive, churning out 980 yards and five scores on the ground despite just 162 carries.

Pettaway is undeniably James Madison’s meal ticket. He is one of the best players in this conference, and he they lean on him even more (with no drop to his efficiency), they will be next to impossible to stop.

Why? Because their lethal ground game is backed up by an offensive system that does not turn the ball over, and a stout defense that doesn’t burn them (22nd in scoring). On paper, this team is built to win a title. Whether they live up to those lofty expectations, of course, remains to be seen.

Texas State (+700)

If there’s a contender priced close to James Madison that can keep them from hoisting the trophy, I think it might be the Texas State Bobcats. The Bobcats were rock solid last year, finishing a bit better than the Dukes (5-3) in conference play, and going 8-5 overall.

Texas State doesn’t have a stingy run defense to stifle James Madison up front, but they do have a clear contrast in style that could give them major problems. They’re even better offensively, as the Bobcats used a dynamic passing game to put up an astonishing 36.8 points per game in 2024 – third best in the nation.

The Bobcats didn’t lose anything on the ground, either. This team was a monster in both facets of the game offensively, as they ranked inside the top-20 in both rushing and passing yards per game.

This type of offense is scary, but it comes with the caveat that they do face a bit of a rebuilding stage. The coaching and system are both still there, though, so if new transfers and recruits can buy in and execute, this could still be a very scary team within the Sun Belt Conference.

Georgia Southern (+700)

The Georgia Southern Eagles don’t make the cut of the top Sun Belt contenders due to eye-popping 2024 numbers or staggering talent. They were simply fine offensively last year (26.8 points per game), and they were a top-50 passing offense.

That won’t deter you from placing a bet on them, but the big ticket is the continuity they possess. Georgia Southern is set to return 60% of their production from a year ago, which means internal growth, chemistry, and consistency that not everyone in the Sun Belt Conference will have.

The Eagles were already a problem in this conference, going 6-2 in Sun Belt play and finishing last year 8-5 overall. Now they have a good chunk of their key guys returning, while quarterback JC French has a real chance to build off a promising 2024 season – his first as the team’s full-time starter.

Not many teams in this conference have quarterbacks this skilled. French might have the ability to carry this offense, and if the running game, defense, and chemistry can all come together perfectly, Georgia Southern should have a chance to elevate to the point of title contention.

The Best Sun Belt Conference Conference Betting Value

Not into the top Sun Belt contenders? Just give the Old Dominion Monarchs a try. I know they’re not the first team most people think of when betting on who will win the Sun Belt championship; in fact they’re the last team people think of. Seriously, they’ve never won one yet.

But this could very well be the year. So much turnover runs through this league and all of college football that virtually anyone has a shot in any given season, but the Monarchs are probably looking at their best crack at it in some time.

Old Dominion wasn’t great last year (5-7 overall), but they did sport a capable offense (53rd in scoring with 28 points per game) and they had the 13th best ground game in all of football.

A big reason for their offensive success was quarterback Colton Joseph, who showed growth as a passer as the year went on, and offered a spark as a runner (647 yards on the ground). His development could be crucial for Old Dominion’s chances at success, and he was especially good down the stretch last year. 

Joseph’s insane performance in a wild 42-35 shootout with eventual champion Marshall – one in which he accounted for 158 rushing yards and three total touchdowns – is reason for the understandable optimism.

Elsewhere, the Monarchs will have to work to replace running back Aaron Young, while a defense that surrendered 28 points per game will flat out need to be better. However, Joseph has the Monarchs looking like a surging value and a real contender at a discounted price.

The Top Sun Belt Conference Conference Longshot

I don’t see how anyone can beat the value the Marshall Thundering Herd brings to the table at their +2500 price tag. Obviously they are not presently expected to do much this year, but let’s pump the brakes on writing them off immediately.

For starters, this is your defending Sun Belt Conference football champion. Marshall was 7-1 in the conference last year, won 10 games, and of course was victorious in the Sun Belt title game. 

Their elite offense was a huge reason for their success. True, they didn’t face a lot of tough competition, but they still ranked 35th in the nation in scoring (30.5 points per game) and were specifically one of the most dominant rushing attacks in the nation.

Stud running back A.J. Turner was a big reason for that, and he’s now a member of the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Dual threat quarterback Braylon Braxton is also gone, putting Marshall in a serious deficit in terms of legit talent that is now starring for other programs.

On top of that, Marshall is hitting the reset button with an entirely new coaching staff, as head coach Charles Huff opted to leave to a Sun Belt rival, Southern Miss. All of this is bad, but Marshall still held onto some of their top wide receivers, and brought in big transfers and recruits – most notably running back Jo-Shon Barbie, who delivered a stellar 149-831-8 stat line last year with 5.6 yards per carry.

Marshall’s ground game could be as good as ever in 2025, while new head coach Tony Gibson brings years of defensive grit to a team that was already quite explosive (17th in sack rate) up front.

It won’t be easy, but the framework could be there for Marshall to offset all of these big losses and stay in the mix for the Sun Belt title.

Sun Belt Conference Conference Predictions

If you’re looking for reliable NCAAF picks that can’t miss, I can confidently say that betting on who will win the Sun Belt title probably isn’t the market for you.

There is value to be had here, though. The defending champs are incredibly discounted, we have a surging Monarchs team to cheer on, and there are a plethora of legit contenders that could easily return some stellar value.

Only one team can actually win the 2025 Sun Belt Conference title, of course, and if I had to bet on one right now before the season started, James Madison appears to be the best option. I will say that I am not a fan of betting on the preseason favorite – particularly in college football – but sometimes it’s our only course of action.

I’ve already laid out why James Madison is the likely winner, but I do think hedging your bets with a couple of other options (namely Marshall and Old Dominion) isn’t a bad idea. That said, the Dukes look like the best team in this conference.

Bet: James Madison Dukes (+250)

The Best Sun Belt Conference Win Total Bets

• James Madison Dukes Over 8.5 Wins (-110)
• Old Dominion Monarchs Over 5.5 Wins (-165)
• Marshall Thundering Herd Over 4.5 Wins (-140)

What’s better than betting on the Sun Belt title winner and hoping you’re right? How about smashing these win total bets, which are all egregiously mis-priced?

Granted, I could be wrong about how I view some of these teams, but Marshall at not even five wins? I mean, what are we even doing here? Yes, Marshall is losing a ton of key players and their coaching staff got overhauled, but the defensive bite is going to stick. That alone might be good for five wins.

Old Dominion is, at least in my opinion, a strong value bet to contend for this conference’s title. If they’re going to do that, they are going to blow this win total into the sky. The Monarchs are not an easy team to trust, but six wins isn’t asking much in general, and it’s a slap in the face for a team with much more upside than this wager suggests.

Lastly, James Madison is favored to win the Sun Belt title. I am with that logic, but even if you’re not, there is still some wiggle room between that not happening and the Dukes still getting to nine wins.

For instance, the Sun Belt Conference had two teams win 10 games last year, and one of them obviously didn’t win the championship.

Bet: James Madison Dukes Over 8.5 Wins (-110), Old Dominion Monarchs Over 5.5 Wins (-165), and Marshall Thundering Herd Over 4.5 Wins (-140)

Which Sun Belt Conference Teams Will Make the Playoffs?

The easy (and almost certainly the correct) answer is none. The five best conference champions get in, with just seven more slots left to fill. As good as Marshall and Louisiana were last year, they didn’t get in, which likely means it’d take an even more magical season to put someone from the Sun Belt Conference on the CFP radar.

I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, but it’s highly unlikely. James Madison stands out as the top pick if you have to pick a Sun Belt team to accomplish this feat, but I wouldn’t bet on it actually happening.

Bet: None

Sun Belt Conference Conference Winners

The following is a list of the most recent Sun Belt Conference Conference football winners: