University of North Texas Athletics
Green Gang: SBC Poll Predictions
7/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | Return to Play
By Steven Bartolotta, July 16, 2010, 11:52 p.m.
Monday and Tuesday the Sun Belt Conference will hold its annual Media Days and at the same time release the Preseason poll and all-conference team. I've got my predictions for how the poll will go and how will receive all-conference nods.
As stated last year, preseason polls are based on 90 percent what you did last year. North Texas didn't do much and hence shouldn't expect much. So without anymore fanfare, here is how I see the poll shaking out.
1. MTSU
2. Troy
3. ULM
4. Ark. State
5. ULL
6. FAU
7. FIU
8. North Texas
9. Western Kentucky.
Sports are a results business and the two teams that have had the most results lately are Middle Tennessee and Troy They will be one and two. After the top two teams, which are pretty clear cut going into the year, the rest of the league isn't separated by much.
Five teams finished within two games of each other from three through seven. ULM should get the nod as the No. 3 pick, despite a new coach in Todd Berry taking over, the Warhawks had one of the league's best defenses.
After that I'm going with Arkansas State, ULL, FAU, and FIU. That brings us to North Texas at eight and Western at nine.
Yes the Mean Green probably deserves better, but the results weren't there so they won't get better than eight.
All-conference players for North Texas I'm predicting will be Lance Dunbar, Kelvin Drake, and Jamaal Jackson. Near misses I think will be Esteban Santiago and Craig Robertson.
Dwight Dasher of Middle will more than likely be the Preseason Player of the Year. Other items of interest heading into the year are two new coaches this season in the Sun Belt. Berry at ULM and Willie Taggart at Western Kentucky.
Berry is inheriting a much better situation at ULM as opposed to Taggart at WKU. Coaches who enter the year needing to post winning seasons are Todd Dodge and Steve Roberts at Arkansas State. Dodge's situation is well chronicle while Roberts has still never posted a winning season in Jonesboro, which was a rather surprising stat.
The league also has for the first time two bowl tie-in's with the New Orleans Bowl and Mobile Bowl.
North Texas is building a new stadium, FIU already has one finished, Troy renovated its facility a few years back, and FAU has one coming.
As the league celebrates its 10th anniversary this year in football, the conference has added much needed credibility from its beginnings in 2001. To grow more the league must continue to add more bowls, more TV appearances, and most of all, more non-conference wins for the next 10 years to be better.
