WEEK 5 SCHEDULE
Saturday, September 28
Ball State at James Madison
12:30 p.m. ESPN+
Texas State at Sam Houston
2:00 p.m. ESPN+
Liberty at App State
2:30 p.m. ESPN+
Georgia Southern at Georgia State
2:30 p.m. ESPNU
Louisiana at Wake Forest
2:30 p.m. ACC Network
Western Michigan at Marshall
2:30 p.m. ESPN+
Old Dominion at Bowling Green
4:00 p.m. ESPN+
ULM at Troy
6:00 p.m. ESPN+
South Alabama at No. 14/13 LSU
6:45 p.m. SEC Network
All Times CT
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
LAST OF THE UNBEATENS
Entering Week 5 of the 2024 season, just 26 unbeaten teams remain across the country. Five of those teams—Army, James Madison, Liberty, Navy and UNLV—hail from non-autonomy conferences. Two of those teams feature on this weekend’s Sun Belt schedule, with James Madison hosting Ball State at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, on ESPN+ and App State hosting Liberty at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, on ESPN+. Both matchups are sold out. James Madison aims to stay unbeaten on the year in the second-ever meeting with Ball State. The Cardinals won the first-ever matchup 24-6 in 1997. App State owns a 7-3 advantage in the all-time series with Liberty, heading into the first-ever FBS matchup of the two winningest current non-autonomy conference programs since 2018.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Three firsts will occur in Sun Belt matchups with fellow non-autonomy conference foes this weekend. Texas State and in-state rival Sam Houston will meet for the first time at the FBS level at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, on ESPN+. Western Michigan and Marshall will square off for the first time since the Thundering Herd left the Mid-American Conference in 2005 at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, on ESPN+. Old Dominion and Bowling Green will clash for the first time in program history at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, on ESPN+.
GEORGIA GROWN BOWL
In-state rivals Georgia Southern and Georgia State will meet in the inaugural Georgia Grown Bowl at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, on ESPNU. The newly-named rivalry game—and the Sun Belt Conference opener for both programs—will be the earliest-ever meeting between the two teams. The rivalry, which has been played annually since Georgia Southern joined the Sun Belt Conference in 2014, had previously been contested four times in October, five times in November and one time in December. The Panthers own a 6-4 advantage in the all-time series, winning three of the past four matchups—including the past two in Center Parc Stadium. Georgia Southern won last year’s matchup in Statesboro, 44-27. Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper will present the winner of the game with the Commissioner’s Cup, a symbol of Georgia’s excellence in agriculture, education and athletics.
NEW YEAR, NEW ME
A pair of first-year head coaches Bryant Vincent of ULM and Gerad Parker of Troy will attempt to secure their first-ever Sun Belt Conference win when their teams square off at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, on ESPN+. The matchup pits the team with the longest active Sun Belt Conference winning streak—Troy at seven games—against the team with the longest active Sun Belt Conference losing streak—ULM at 10 games. The Trojans are the two-time defending conference champions, boasting a 14-2 mark in conference action across the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The Warhawks are 3-13 against conference foes over the same stretch.
LOUISIANA SATURDAY NIGHT
Coming off a two-game stretch in which it has scored 135 points—the most over a two-game span in program history—South Alabama now ranks ninth in the nation averaging 48.2 points per game. The Jaguars are 1-of-5 Sun Belt programs to rank among the Top 35 in the nation in the category, alongside James Madison (25th, 37.7 points per game), Texas State (27th, 37.0), Coastal Carolina (29th, 36.8) and Louisiana (34th, 35.7). South Alabama will attempt to keep its offense rolling when it visits No. 14/13 LSU for the first time in program history at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, on SEC Network. A Jaguars victory would make it three-straight weeks with a Sun Belt win over an autonomy conference foe—and back-to-back weeks with a team’s second victory over an autonomy conference opponent in as many years. James Madison defeated Virginia, 36-35, in 2023 and added a 70-50 win over North Carolina last weekend. South Alabama defeated Oklahoma State, 33-7, in 2023 and looks to add a win over the Bayou Bengals this weekend. Louisiana will also test its mettle in a first-time matchup with an autonomy conference foe when it travels to Wake Forest at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, on ACC Network. Wake Forest overcame a 17-0 halftime deficit in an eventual 27-24 win over Old Dominion in 2023 in its only prior meeting with a Sun Belt program.
