Sun Belt Football Team Win Totals and Predictions for 2026

The 2025 season was a banner year for the Sun Belt. Conference champion James Madison earned a spot in the College Football Playoff, a first for a Sun Belt program.

Now, how can the conference follow that up this fall with a slightly different set of teams?

Texas State left for the Pac-12 and was replaced by former Conference USA member Louisiana Tech in the West Division. James Madison returns as the favorite to win the Sun Belt yet again, and they have the highest projected win total in the conference at 8.5. According to the betting markets, the Dukes' biggest threats are Marshall (7.5), Old Dominion (7.5), Louisiana (7.5) and Troy (6.5).

Athlon Sports highlights the best over/under win total bets using DraftKings odds for the Sun Belt and predicts which side of each team’s total will hit in 2026.

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Sun Belt Over/Under Win Total Picks

East Division

App State (5.5)

Steven Lassan: Under
Kyle Wood: Under

Coastal Carolina (4.5)

Lassan: Under
Wood: Under

Georgia Southern (4.5)

Lassan: Over
Wood: Over

Georgia State (4.5)

Lassan: Under
Wood: Under

James Madison (8.5)

Lassan: Over
Wood: Over

• Related: How Billy Napier’s Florida Tenure Shaped His Second Act in the Sun Belt

Marshall (7.5)

Lassan: Over
Wood: Over

Old Dominion (7.5)

Lassan: Over
Wood: Over

West Division

Arkansas State (5.5)

Lassan: Over
Wood: Over

Louisiana (7.5)

Lassan: Under
Wood: Over

Louisiana Tech (5.5)

Lassan: Over
Wood: Over

South Alabama (5.5)

Lassan: Under
Wood: Under

Southern Miss (3.5)

Lassan: Under
Wood: Under

Troy (6.5)

Lassan: Over
Wood: Over

UL Monroe (3.5)

Lassan: Under
Wood: Under

Best Sun Belt Over/Under Bets for 2026

Georgia Southern (Over 4.5)
The Eagles have won at least six games in each of coach Clay Helton’s four seasons in charge. In the transfer portal era of college football, history isn’t necessarily the best indicator of what’s to come, but Georgia Southern feels closer to the top of the East Division than 4-8 or 5-7. Key matchups against James Madison, Appalachian State, Marshall and Louisiana Tech take place in Statesboro, and Helton’s team should be able to find enough wins to get bowl eligible once again in 2026.-Steven Lassan

Arkansas State (Over 5.5)
The Red Wolves are up against a challenging non-conference schedule in September. However, they're set up to finish 2026 on a tear — just like they did in 2025. If the defense comes together, coach Butch Jones will have Arkansas State bowling yet again despite the departure of quarterback Jaylen Raynor. -Kyle Wood

Marshall (Over 7.5)
The Thundering Herd face a challenging road slate with games against Penn State, James Madison, Old Dominion and Georgia Southern. However, the rest of the slate is manageable for coach Tony Gibson’s team. Carlos Del Rio-Wilson returns as one of the Sun Belt’s top quarterbacks, and an infusion of transfers should help the defense improve after giving up 30.3 points per game last year.-Lassan

Georgia State (Under 4.5)
There are few wins to be had on the Panthers' schedule, in or out of conference play. Georgia State would need to go .500 in conference play to even have a shot at five wins. And with one victory over Sun Belt opponents in two years under coach Dell McGee, that's not happening. -Wood

ULM (Under 3.5)
Outside of the Sept. 19 matchup against Southeastern Louisiana, it’s tough to find guaranteed wins on ULM’s schedule. The Warhawks are likely to pull off an upset or two in Sun Belt play, but coach Bryant Vincent’s team needs to show marked improvement on offense (16.6 points per game last year) in order to hit the over.-Lassan

Troy (Over 6.5)
It was surprising to see the Trojans' line set this low. The defending West Division champs have one of the best quarterbacks in the conference in Goose Crowder (when healthy). Troy could be 5-2 heading into a title game rematch against JMU with more winnable games still to play in November. -Wood

College Football Conference Betting Predictions

Athlon Sports picks over/unders and best bets for 2026:

• Pac-12
• Big 12