Warhawks, Ragin’ Cajuns to be tested
Teams from the Sun Belt finished with an 18-25 record last season against nonconference opponent, including a victory over a Power 5 team and a team ranked in the top 25. The two teams from the state of Louisiana face the toughest out-of-conference schedule during the 2017 season.
Aug. 31 at Memphis; Sept. 9 at FSU; Sept. 16 Southern Miss; Nov. 18 at Auburn
The Warhawks’ nonconference schedule features four teams that won at least seven games last season, with three of those contests on the road. That’s bad news considering the program is 0-10 in road games against teams outside of the Sun Belt.
Sept. 2 Southeastern Louisiana; Sept. 9 at Tulsa; Sept. 16 at Texas A&M; Nov. 11 at Ole Miss
The Ragin’ Cajuns face a tough Tulsa team before looking to improve on a winless mark (0-30) all-time against teams from the SEC.
Schedule: Aug. 31 Tennessee State; Sept. 16 at Penn State; Sept. 23 at Charlotte; Sept. 30 Memphis
New coach Shawn Elliott will have his work cut out for him. Georgia State hasn’t traditionally fared well in nonconference play, going 0-6 against teams from Power 5 conferences.
Sept. 2 at Ole Miss; Sept. 9 Oklahoma State; Sept. 16 Alabama A&M; Sept. 30 at Louisiana Tech
South Alabama finished with a 4-1 record against nonconference opponents, including a season-opening 21-20 win over Mississippi State last year. The win over the Bulldogs snapped a sevengame losing streak to Power 5 schools under coach Joey Jones and a four-game losing streak to SEC schools.
Sept. 2 at Boise State; Sept. 9 Alabama State; Sept. 23 Akron; Sept. 30 at LSU
Troy opens at Boise State, where the Trojans face the Broncos for the first time in school history. Troy won a COMMENTARY school-record four nonconference games last season under second-year coach Neal Brown.
Sept. 2 Houston Baptist; Sept. 9 at Colorado; Sept. 23 UTSA; Sept. 30 at Wyoming
Next season’s schedule features the program’s first showdown with a team from the Pac-12, with the Bobcats traveling to Boulder to take on Colorado.
Aug. 31 at Arizona State; Sept. 9 at New Mexico; Sept. 23 UTEP; Sept. 30 at Arkansas
New Mexico State is one of two Sun Belt teams that will not to face a team from the FCS. The Aggies have gone 2-10 in nonconference play during the past three seasons, including an 0-8 record on road contests.
Sept. 2 at Nebraska; Sept. 9 Miami; Sept. 16 Arkansas-Pine Bluff; Sept. 23 at SMU
Arkansas State opens with back-toback Power 5 opponents and wraps up with a road contest against improved SMU.
Sept. 2 at Auburn; Sept. 9 New Hampshire; Sept. 23 at Indiana; Oct. 21 at UMass
Georgia Southern upset Florida on the road in 2013, but the program has since suffered through eight consecutive road losses to nonconference opponents.
Aug. 31 Sacramento State; Sept. 9 UNLV; Sept. 16 at Western Michigan; Oct. 21 at Missouri
Idaho’s final season in the FBS features one of the Sun Belt’s easier schedules, with the Vandals facing just one school (Missouri) from a Power 5 conference.
Sept. 2 UMass; Sept. 16 at UAB; Sept. 23 Western Illinois; Nov. 4 at Arkansas
Coastal Carolina is making the jump from the FCS to FBS level. The team’s toughest game will be on the road in November against Arkansas.
Sept. 2 at Georgia; Sept. 9 Savannah State; Sept. 23 Wake Forest; Oct. 28 at UMass
In three seasons since joining the Sun Belt, Appalachian State has gone 8-6 in nonconference games. The Mountaineers could improve on those numbers in 2017, especially with what is statistically the easiest schedule in the conference. A season-opening road contest against Georgia is the toughest nonconference matchup Appalachian State will face this season.