2016 Sun Belt Conference football season

August 2023 2016 Sun Belt Conference football season #003087 #F2A900 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision Football 170 September 1, 2016through January 2017 1,079,575 11 ESPN, CST 2017 NFL Draft 2017 NFL Draft TE Gerald Everett, South Alabama Los Angeles Rams, 44th overall Regular season Appalachian State & Arkansas State Troy & Idaho Ja’Von Rolland-Jones Austin Rehkow (120 points) Football 2015 2017 The 2016 Sun Belt Conference football season was the 16th season in which the Sun Belt Conference operated a football league, and was part of the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season began on September 1 with Appalachian State facing Tennessee.http://www.sunbeltsports.org/news/2016/3/3/FB_0303165100.aspx 2016 Sun Belt Football Schedule Announced sunbeltsports.org 2016-03-03 2016-08-24 This was the third season for the Sun Belt since realignment that took effect in 2014, which added the tenth and eleventh members — Idaho and New Mexico State. Both teams were previously independents before joining the conference. The Sun Belt Conference is a "Group of Five" conference under the College Football Playoff format along with the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, and the Mountain West Conference. In this season, the Sun Belt football conference included 11 members: Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Idaho, Louisiana–Lafayette, Louisiana–Monroe, New Mexico State, South Alabama, Texas State, and Troy. The conference championship was determined by win–loss record within the conference. Arkansas State entered the season as defending Sun Belt champions, as they went undefeated in 2015 conference play. The Red Wolves went on to lose to Louisiana Tech in the New Orleans Bowl 28–47.Louisiana Tech, Kenneth Dixon topple Arkansas State in New Orleans Bowl, 47-28 http://www.nola.com/nobowl/index.ssf/2015/12/louisiana_tech_kenneth_dixon_t.html August 24, 2016 NOLA.com The Times-Picayune December 20, 2015 New Orleans Preseason 2016 predictions The 2016 preseason coaches predictions were released on July 21, 2016, with the vote conducted by the head football coaches of each conference school. Appalachian State was picked to win the conference for the first time in school history. After coming second in the conference last year which resulted a trip to the Camellia Bowl, the Mountaineers returned 22 starters on the field for the upcoming season. Arkansas State, which had won at least a share of the conference title in four of the previous five seasons and was returning 13 starters (6 on offense, 7 on defense), was tapped to finish second. Below are the results of the coaches poll with total points received next to each school and first-place votes in parentheses. Appalachian State – 114 (5) Arkansas State – 110 (5) Georgia Southern – 98 (1) Georgia State – 73 Louisiana–Lafayette – 70 Troy – 70 South Alabama – 62 Idaho – 48 New Mexico State – 37 Texas State – 30 Louisiana–Monroe – 14 References:Mountaineers Picked to Win League Title in 2016 http://sunbeltsports.org/news/2016/7/21/FB_0721160822.aspx?path=football August 24, 2016 Sun Belt Conference July 21, 2016 Season For the first time in the 16-year history of Sun Belt football, a team from the conference was ranked in the top 25 of the AP Poll. In Week 11, the Troy Trojans, with a record of 8–1, received the #25 spot in the AP Poll. The Trojans lost their next game, to Arkansas State, to drop back out of the rankings. Rankings 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings   Pre Wk1 Wk2 Wk3 Wk4 Wk5 Wk6 Wk7 Wk8 Wk9 Wk10 Wk11 Wk12 Wk13 Wk14 FinalAppalachian State AP — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —C RV RV RV — RV RV RV RV RV RV RV — — RV RV — CFP Not released — — — — — — Arkansas State AP — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —C — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — CFP Not released — — — — — — Georgia Southern AP — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —C — — RV — — — — — — — — — — — — — CFP Not released — — — — — — Georgia State AP — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —C — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — CFP Not released — — — — — — Idaho AP — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —C — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — CFP Not released — — — — — — Louisiana–Lafayette AP — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —C — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — CFP Not released — — — — — — Louisiana–Monroe AP — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —C — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — CFP Not released — — — — — — New Mexico State AP — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —C — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — CFP Not released — — — — — — South Alabama AP — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —C — RV — — — RV RV — — — — — — — — — CFP Not released — — — — — — Texas State AP — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —C — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — CFP Not released — — — — — — Troy AP — — — — — — — RV RV RV RV 25 RV RV — —C — — — — RV RV RV RV RV RV RV RV — RV — RV CFP Not released — — — — — — + Legend     Improvement in ranking   Drop in ranking   Not ranked previous week   No change in ranking from previous week RV Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll т Tied with team above or below also with this symbol Sun Belt vs other Conferences Sun Belt vs Power Conference matchups This is a list of the power conference teams (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, SEC) Sun Belt played in non-conference play. (Rankings from the AP Poll): Date Visitor Home Site Score September 1 Appalachian State #9 Tennessee (SEC) Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee L 13–20 OT September 3 South Alabama Mississippi State (SEC) Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, Mississippi W 21–20 September 10 Arkansas State Auburn (SEC) Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, Alabama L 14–51 September 10 Idaho #8 Washington (Pac-12) Husky Stadium • Seattle L 14–59 September 10 Troy #2 Clemson (ACC) Memorial Stadium • Clemson, South Carolina L 24–30 September 10 Louisiana–Monroe #14 Oklahoma (Big 12) Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, Oklahoma L 17–59 September 17 Miami (ACC) Appalachian State Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, North Carolina L 45–10 September 17 Georgia State Wisconsin (Big Ten) Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, Wisconsin L 17–23 September 17 Idaho Washington State (Pac-12) Martin Stadium • Pullman, Washington L 6–56 September 17 New Mexico State Kentucky (SEC) Commonwealth Stadium • Lexington, Kentucky L 42–62 September 17 Texas State Arkansas (SEC) Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, Arkansas L 3–42 October 1 Louisiana–Monroe Auburn (SEC) Jordan–Hare Stadium • Auburn, Alabama L 7–58 October 15 Georgia Southern Georgia Tech (ACC) Bobby Dodd Stadium • Atlanta L 24–35 October 29 New Mexico State Texas A&M (SEC) Kyle Field • College Station, Texas L 10–52 November 5 Georgia Southern Ole Miss (SEC) Vaught–Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, Mississippi L 27–37 November 19 South Alabama LSU (SEC) Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, Louisiana Canceled due to Hurricane Matthewhttps://bleacherreport.com/articles/2669475-lsu-vs-florida-rescheduled-after-hurricane-matthew-date-comments-and-reaction LSU vs Florida Rescheduled After Hurricane Matthew Bleacher Report October 13, 2016 October 13, 2016http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=211226935 Football to Host Florida Nov. 19 in Tiger Stadium LSUSports.net October 13, 2016 October 13, 2016 October 14, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20161014060727/http://www.lsusports.net/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=5200&ATCLID=211226935 dead November 19 Louisiana–Lafayette Georgia (SEC) Sanford Stadium • Athens, Georgia L 21–35 2016 records against non-conference opponents Regular Season Power 5 ConferencesRecordACC0–3Big Ten0–0Big 120–1Pac-120–2SEC1–8Power 5 Total1–14Other FBS ConferencesRecordAmerican0–2Conference USA2–1Independents1–0MAC2–3Mountain West3–4Other FBS Total8–12FCS OpponentsRecordFootball Championship Subdivision11–1Total Non-Conference Record20–27 Postseason Power 5 ConferencesRecordACC0–0Big Ten0–0Big 120–0Pac-120–0SEC0–0Power 5 Total0–0Other FBS ConferencesRecordAmerican1–0Conference USA0–1Independents0–0MAC2–0Mountain West1–1Other FBS Total4–2Total Bowl Record4–2 Players of the Year Sun Belt Conference football individual awards 2016 Sun Belt Player of the Year awardshttp://sunbeltsports.org/news/2016/12/7/FB_1207164456.aspx Sun Belt announces 2016 Football All-Conference teams and individual awards December 7, 2016 Sun Belt Conference www.sunbeltsports.org January 4, 2017 AwardPlayerSchoolPlayer of the YearJa'Von Rolland-JonesArkansas StateOffensive Player of the YearJalin MooreAppalachian StateDefensive Player of the YearRashad DillardTroyFreshman of the YearClifton DuckAppalachian StateNewcomer of the YearAikeem ColemanIdahoCoach of the YearPaul PetrinoIdaho All-Sun BeltTeam Coaches All-Conference Selections Position Player Class Team First Team Offense QB Brandon Silvers JR Troy RB Jalin Moore SO Appalachian State RB Jordan Chunn JR Troy WR Robert Davis SR Georgia State WR Al Riles SR Louisiana-Lafayette WR Emanuel Thompson JR Troy TE Gerald Everett SR South Alabama OL Parker Collins SR Appalachian State OL Colby Gossett JR Appalachian State OL Jemar Clark SR Arkansas State OL Andy Kwon SR Georgia Southern OL Antonio Garcia SR Troy First Team Defense DL Chris Odom SR Arkansas State DL Ja'Von Rolland-Jones JR Arkansas State DL Randy Allen SR South Alabama DL Rashad Dillard SR Troy LB Ironhead Gallon SR Georgia Southern LB Otha Peters SR Louisiana-Lafayette LB Rodney Butler SR New Mexico State DB Clifton Duck FR Appalachian State DB Mondo Williams SR Appalachian State DB Monshadrik Hunter SR Arkansas State DB Bobby Baker SR Georgia State DB Jeremy Reaves JR South Alabama First Team Special Teams PK Younghoe Koo SR Georgia Southern P Austin Rehkow SR Idaho RS Jabir Frye FR Troy AP Jordan Chunn JR Troy Position Player Class Team Second Team Offense QB Matt Linehan JR Idaho RB Marcus Cox SR Appalachian State RB Elijah McGuire SR Louisiana-Lafayette WR Shaedon Meadors JR Appalachian State WR Josh Magee SR South Alabama WR Deondre Douglas SO Troy TE Blake Mack JR Arkansas State OL Beau Nunn SR Appalachian State OL Colton Jackson SR Arkansas State OL Steve Matlock SR Idaho OL Jeff Savage SR Louisiana-Monroe OL Tyler Lassiter SR Troy Second Team Defense DL Tyler Lassiter SR Appalachian State DL Tee Sims JR Appalachian State DL Aikeem Coleman JR Idaho DL Tueni Lupeamanu SR Idaho LB Joe Dillon FR Louisiana-Lafayette LB Eric Boggs JR Appalachian State LB Kennan Gilchrist SR Appalachian State LB Xavier Woodson-Luster SR Arkansas State DB Cody Brown SR Arkansas State DB Justin Clifton SO Arkansas State DB Jaden Wright JR New Mexico State DB Jalen Rountree SR Troy Second Team Special Teams PK Austin Rehkow SR Idaho P Brandon McKee SR South Alabama RS Blaise Taylor JR Arkansas State AP Warren Wand SO Arkansas State Honorable Mention: Appalachian State: Barrett Burns, A. J. Howard, Taylor Lamb, Myquon Stout; Arkansas State: Justice Hansen, Chris Humes, Waylon Roberson, Kendall Sanders; Georgia Southern: Kevin Ellison, Darius Jones, Jr., Ukeme Eligwe, B. J. Johnson III; Georgia State: Shawanye Lawrence, Alonzo McGee, Keith Rucker, Chandon Sullivan; Idaho: Trent Cowan, Kaden Elliss, Tony Lashley, Jordan Rose; Louisiana-Lafayette: Keenan Barnes, Karmichael Dunbar, Eddie Gordon, Tre'maine Lightfoot; Louisiana-Monroe: Justin Backus, David Griffith, Ajalen Holley, Frank Sutton, Jr.; New Mexico State: Kourtland Busby, Greg Hogan, Anthony McMeans, Tyler Rogers; South Alabama Roman Buchanan, Kalen Jackson, Xavier Johnson, Kevin Kutchera; Troy: Ryan Kay, William Lloyd, Kamryn Melton, Baron Poole; Texas State: Aaron Brewer, Bryan London, Gabe Loyd, Jordan Mittie. Home attendance TeamStadium (Capacity)Game 1Game 2Game 3Game 4Game 5Game 6Game 7TotalAverage% of Capacity Appalachian State Kidd Brewer Stadium (24,050) 23,374 34,658 24,782 26,931 28,472 18,6990 — 156,916 26,152 108.74% Arkansas State Centennial Bank Stadium (30,382) 26,182 28,012 19,381 22,277 20,170 20,1780 — 136,200 22,700 74.72% Georgia Southern Paulson Stadium (25,000) 21,250 25,735 23,474 16,786 16,8500 —0 — 104,095 20,819 83.28% Georgia State Georgia Dome (28,155) 12,233 13,179 15,223 13,363 13,106 23,5130 — 90,617 15,102 53.64% Idaho Kibbie Dome (16,000) 11,987 13,392 10,278 9,049 11,2420 —0 — 55,948 11,190 69.94% Louisiana–Lafayette Cajun Field (36,900) 22,661 26,891 19,208 16,960 21,367 14,2590 — 121,346 20,224 54.81% Louisiana–Monroe Malone Stadium (30,427) 24,718 9,524 12,735 16,073 0 —0 — 63,050 15,762 51.8% New Mexico State Aggie Memorial Stadium (30,343) 17,852 8,142 10,085 6,280 5,3660 —0 — 47,725 9,545 31.46% South Alabama Ladd–Peebles Stadium (33,471) 17,691 13,086 14,741 30,837 11,565 11,017 98,937 16,489 49.26% Texas State Bobcat Stadium (30,000) 33,133 22,845 18,278 15,314 8,0100 — 97,580 19,560 65.05% Troy Veterans Memorial Stadium (30,000) 18,885 21,146 23,913 21,763 25,782 23,7640 — 135,253 22,542 75.14% Bold – Exceed capacity †Season High NFL draft The following list includes all Sun Belt players who were drafted in the 2017 NFL draft. Round # Pick # NFL team Player Position College 2 44 Los Angeles Rams Gerald Everett TE South Alabama 3 85 New England Patriots Antonio Garcia T Troy 5 183 Kansas City Chiefs Ukeme Eligwe LB Georgia Southern 6 188 New York Jets Elijah McGuire RB Louisiana–Lafayette 6 209 Washington Redskins Robert Davis WR Georgia State References