By Christian Goeckel
SouthernPigskin.com

Follow us at Twitter.com/SouthernPigskin.  Become a fan at the SouthernPigskin.com Facebook Page

Recapping a wild weekend in the Sun Belt

After a wild non-conference start, we finally got a taste of what this season will look like in the Sun Belt. Some conferences have their clear-cut front-runners. The SEC has Georgia and Alabama. The ACC boasts Clemson. Ohio State is the clear favorite to win the Big Ten. When you look at the Sun Belt, however, every time a team tries to claim the title of x9cfavoritex9d theyre promptly humbled.

App State after beating Texas A&M: Hail Mary to beat Troy, then blew a 28-3 lead against James Madison.

Marshall after beating Notre Dame: consecutive losses to Bowling Green and Troy.

Coastal Carolina and James Madison are the only remaining unbeatens in the Sun Belt. Well see how long that lasts. This thing is just getting started and it promises to be a wild ride.

Things that stood out:

• James Madison is in their first year in FBS and have promptly started the season 3-0 with 44-7 win over Middle Tennessee State (who just beat No. 25 Miami in Miami) and a huge comeback over media darlings App State. The Dukes are legitimately good.Unfortunately, due to a lame NCAA rule, they are not eligible for postseason play this season.

• South Alabama is for real. Kane Wommacks Jaguars are a weird fake field goal attempt from potentially being 4-0. They demolished Central Michigan on the road in Week 2, and handled Louisiana Tech on Saturday, 38-14. The Jaguars scored in all three phases and intercepted 4 passes.

• Georgia State is 0-4 and might not be that bad. The Panthers knew that this scenario was possible when they scheduled South Carolina and North Carolina back-to-back to start the season. Add in a conference-opener against Coastal Carolina, and you had all the ingredients for a bad start. Obviously four-consecutive losses is a tough thing to rebound from, but any calls for Shawn Elliotts job need to be put on hold. Georgia State was competitive with South Carolina into the fourth quarter, and were a couple plays away from taking down North Carolina. There is still a shot this team makes a bowl.

Players of the Week

Offense: Jared Brown – Coastal Carolina – 5 receptions, 129 yards, 2 TD

Defense: Yam Banks – South Alabama – 2 interceptions, 1 TD, 1 TFL

Special Teams: Caullin Lacy – 1 punt return, 57 yards, 1 TD

Best Game of Week 5:

Georgia Southern (3-1) at Coastal Carolina (4-0), 4:00 PM ET, ESPN+