Three teams vie for supremacy in Sun Belt

Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Troy stand apart

Leading up to the start of the season, USA TODAY Sports is publishing previews of Football Bowl Subdivision conferences. Today, Sun Belt.

Don’t be surprised to see Troy, Appalachian State and Arkansas State atop the Sun Belt preseason polls: These are the three best teams in the league.

It’s no coincidence these teams are led by the league’s best quarterbacks. Taylor Lamb is back at Appalachian State. Brandon Silvers returns at Troy. Justice Hansen is set to crack open his potential at Arkansas State.

Each team boasts individual units that rank atop the conference. The Mountaineers have the quarterback, running back and offensive line. Troy touts the top receiver corps, secondary and special teams. Arkansas State has the front seven.

And each team is led by a head coach with clear Power Five potential. Neal Brown’s rebuilding project with the Trojans will inevitably draw the attention of a program in the Southeast. Blake Anderson’s consistency during his first three years with the Red Wolves has him in line to follow the path blazed by Hugh Freeze and Gus Malzahn. Scott Satterfield is not long for Appalachian State.

So it’s a three-team race in the Sun Belt, which in 2017 resembles the Southeastern Conference in one regard: It’s hard to envision any team but the clear preseason favorites wearing the conference crown in December.

BEST UNITS

Quarterback: Appalachian State. You can’t go wrong with Troy’s Brandon Silvers, but I give Lamb a slight edge in the all-conference race.

Running back: Appalachian State. Larry Rose of New Mexico State might be the league’s top back, but the Aggies can’t match the Mountaineers’ depth.

Wide receivers and tight ends: Troy. The Trojans have the quarterback and the depth at wide receiver to give defensive backs fits.

Offensive line: Appalachian State. With the potential for three all-conference picks, this line will set the tone for what should be an imposing running game.

Defensive line: Arkansas State. The combination of Ja’Von Rolland-Jones on the edge and former Alabama transfer Dee Liner in the middle is the Sun Belt’s best.

Linebacker: Arkansas State. The Red Wolves lose an all-conference starter but return enough depth and production to form a pretty impressive front seven.

Secondary: Troy. A group that put together a terrific 2016 season will be even more experienced.

Special teams: Troy. There’s very little separating Troy from Arkansas State or Georgia Southern, but the Trojans have the edge due to return man Jabir Daughtry-Frye.

RANKING THE STARTING QUARTERBACKS

1. Taylor Lamb, Appalachian State. The Mountaineers take deep comfort in the knowledge that Lamb will make the right decisions.

2. Brandon Silvers, Troy. The reigning first-team all-conference pick is building a case for being one of the finest quarterbacks in program history.

3. Matt Linehan, Idaho. Linehan probably is the most underrated quarterback in the conference, though that tends to happen at Idaho.

4. Justice Hansen, Arkansas State. It’s no coincidence that Arkansas State’s 2016 season didn’t take off until Hansen ascended to the starting role.

5. Tyler Rogers, New Mexico State. Rogers will put up big numbers, but NMSU won’t go anywhere should he miss any significant time because of injury.

6. Garrett Smith, Louisiana-Monroe. He flashed enough ability in his six starts a year ago for head coach Matt Viator to have confidence in the position heading into 2017.

7. Dallas Davis, South Alabama. He needs to prove he’s healthy after offseason surgery, but Davis has the arm strength to succeed in the Jaguars’ scheme.

8. Conner Manning, Georgia State. The hope is Manning improves his completion percentage and turnover rate under the new coaching staff.

9. Shai Werts, Georgia Southern. There will be growing pains for the redshirt freshman as he takes the reins in the Eagles offense.

10. Jordan Davis, Louisiana-Lafayette. Davis brings little experience into his junior season, but he can only be an improvement over his predecessor.

11. Austin Wilson, Coastal Carolina. The graduate transfer from Syracuse seems in line to start ahead of senior Tyler Keane.

12. Jaylen Gipson, Texas State. With Mississippi State transfer Damian Williams’ eligibility in doubt, the Bobcats might be forced to turn to one of four freshmen — with Gipson seemingly the favorite but no single option worthy of optimism.

GAMES OF THE YEAR

Appalachian State at Georgia, Sept. 2. You know the Mountaineers are going to put a scare into Georgia, right? Troy at Boise State, Sept. 2.

It’s an early-season barometer for Troy and the conference at large. Arkansas State at SMU, Sept. 23. Can a top-three team from the Sun Belt defeat a bottom-six team from the American Athletic?

Georgia Southern at Appalachian State, Nov. 9. Because of the vagaries of the Sun Belt schedule, the Mountaineers miss Troy and Arkansas State during the regular season — making this matchup with Georgia Southern the team’s toughest test on paper.

Troy at Arkansas State, Dec. 2. At worst, it’s likely that this game will have a shared conference title on the line.

CHUCK COOK, USA TODAY SPORTS Quarterback Brandon Silvers, a first-team all-conference pick for Troy, passed for 3,180 yards and 23 touchdowns last year.