Sun Belt betting preview: App State favored, Texas State close behind

The 2024 Sun Belt football conference could be interesting this season, with several competitive teams that could surprise, although the landscape remains largely unchanged, with familiar teams vying for supremacy. The Appalachian State Mountaineers and Texas State Bobcats are the top contenders to capture the conference title.

This season brings significant coaching changes, with five new head coaches stepping into leadership roles. Dell McGee takes the helm at Georgia State, bringing experience from his time as a run game coordinator at Georgia. Bob Chesney joins James Madison after a successful tenure at Holy Cross, where he led the team to multiple Patriot League championships. Bryant Vincent steps in at ULM, having previously served as the offensive coordinator at New Mexico. Major Applewhite is now leading South Alabama, having been promoted from his role as the team's offensive coordinator. Gerad Parker takes over at Troy, coming from Notre Dame, where he served as the offensive coordinator.

One player to watch is Joey Aguilar , the senior quarterback from App State, who was named the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. Aguilar set several school single-season records last season, including passing yards, passing touchdowns, total offense, completions and attempts, capped with 13 games of at least 200 passing yards.

Here are each team's regular-season win totals and conference and national championship odds as we head into the season.

Other conferences: ACC , Big 12 , Big Ten , SEC , MAC

Coming up : Independents (Aug. 17), C-USA (Aug. 20), Mountain West (Aug. 21)

Odds accurate as of publication. For the most up-to-date odds, visit ESPN BET .

Maldonado's Pick: Texas State to win Sun Belt (+300)

I was initially thinking I wanted to use Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns as my dark horse because of the returning talent, ranked 15th nationally in returning production. I'm a big believer in continuity because it can lead to improved performance and cohesion on the field.

However, I'm going with Texas State to win the conference because the offense has a high ceiling and I love offense in college football. As a bettor, potent offenses could be solid underdog bets or teams to target for OVER plays. Last year, Texas State led the Sun Belt in scoring, averaging 36.7 points and 458.5 yards per game. Now, they have Jordan McCloud , the 2023 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year, previously with James Madison. McCloud led the conference with 3,657 passing yards and 35 touchdown passes, alongside 276 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns.

McCloud is also 100 years old. He's really 24, having been in college since 2018, though it's his fifth year playing with his fourth different squad. I see it as, he has familiarity with different offensive systems. If he can adapt quickly, that makes him a valuable asset for Texas State. McCloud has shown that he is capable of leading a high-powered offense and now on a team that had already had a potent offense. It's a complimentary system.

If McCloud can replicate or surpass his previous performances, Texas State has the potential to dominate the conference and vie for the championship