Season previews are back! Richard and Alex go alphabetically through the whole Sun Belt, picking out one rose, one bud, and one thorn for all 14 schools, from Appalachian State to Troy. In this episode:

* App State hits the reset button

* Coastal Carolina should be feeling some urgency

* Georgia Southern extended Clay Helton and kept its roster together, so why aren’t we feeling so good about the Eagles?

* Georgia State’s recruiting growth under Dell McGee is in bloom

* JMU has every chance to contend for the G5 playoff spot

* Marshall follows a Sun Belt championship with a whole lot of uncertainty, but at least one thing about the Herd should be cool

* ODU gets back its star linebacker after a lost season

* Arkansas State has one of the G5’s best receivers … and a date with the Hogs

* Louisiana appears most of the way back, three years after Billy Napier left

* ULM has immense challenges but a reason or two for belief

* South Alabama loses a star running back and its starting QB but gains a Major League ballplayer, among others

* Southern Miss, which went 1-11, is sort of the defending champ

* Texas State has the opportunity to put it all together

* Troy looks at some regression to the mean, but how much more than that?

Then we pick some preseason superlatives to close out the first preview of 2025.

Cool stuff from Split Zone Duo’s partners:

* Use SZD20 for 20% off your first order at Homefield.

* Enter your favorite CFB road trip at our Nokian Tyres landing page, and you’ll be entered in a drawing to win free tires.

Producer: Anthony Vito

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.splitzoneduo.com/subscribe

College Football Previews 2025: The Sun Belt

Split Zone Duo: College Football Podcast