Three Things From Sun Belt In Week Eight

The winners and losers from Week 8 of the Sun Belt might have not been surprising, but for some teams, even in winning, they seemed to lose.

South Alabama lost more than Troy won

In Thursday night’s Battle for the Belt, the Troy Trojans got off on the wrong side of the bed. South Alabama quickly went up 14-0 and for the rest of the game, the Trojans were playing catch-up. The score was tied at 21-21 late in the game when the Jaguars went three and out, giving Troy a chance to win, which they did to escape with a 28-21 win.

South Alabama remains a great mystery. Wins over Mississippi State and San Diego State, 0-4 in Sun Belt play. Bowl eligibility is still possible with games against ULM, Georgia State and NMSU remaining plus the question on whether the LSU makeup game with Presbyterian will count, but Joey Jones’ team hasn’t made it easy on themselves.

Trent Miles might be in trouble

Georgia State might have won their second game with a 31-6 win over UT-Martin on Saturday, but it was hardly cruise control for the Panthers.

The Skyhawks were only down 10-3 at half until Georgia State recovered and returned a fumble for a touchdown, then on the very next offensive play, the Panthers got a pick six and made it 24-3 all of a sudden.

Still, it took four UTM turnovers for Georgia State to overcome losing the yardage battle (320-285) and wasn’t a good look for Georgia State, who now stands at 2-5 overall.

With a contract going through 2017, Trent Miles is running out of time to show his long-term worth. Yes he brought the program up from nothing, but he might have hit his ceiling. With a move to Turner Field next season, GSU might decided to go with a new everything.

Georgia Southern might miss bowl eligibility

One of the Sun Belt sure bets before the season is looking more and more unlikely. The Eagles played poorly for most of the night but managed to escape New Mexico State with a 22-19 victory.

The win puts Georgia Southern at 4-3 overall, but it’s a tough slog the rest of the season. This Thursday is Deeper Than Hate versus App State, then a trip to Ole Miss could put GS at 4-5. UL-Lafayette and Georgia State are looking like must-win games with a final week visit from Troy to come. 6-6 is the likely scenario, but with a rookie coach and uncertainty at the QB position, that road is looking harder and harder.