Sun Belt coaches vote Arkansas State as preseason favorite

— The Sun Belt Conference released its preseason coaches’ poll Thursday with Arkansas State picked as the favorite to win both the West Division and the conference’s inaugural championship game.

The conference will hold its annual football media day on Monday.

The Red Wolves were previously picked to finish second in 2006, 2009, 2012, 2014 and 2016. The 2018 poll marks the first time they have ever been predicted to win the conference championship.

Arkansas State received nine of the 10 first-place votes to win the West Division, accumulating 49 points. Louisiana Monroe was chosen as the runner-up in the division with 37 points, followed by South Alabama with 26 points, Louisiana with 25 and Texas State with 13.

Appalachian State is the favorite to win the East Division with six first-place votes and 46 points overall, narrowly edging out Troy, which received four first-place votes and 44 total. Georgia State was voted third with 26 points, followed by Georgia Southern with 22 points and Coastal Carolina with 12.

The Red Wolves have won five of the last seven Sun Belt titles while compiling 59 victories during that same period. The 59 wins ranks 25th in the country and sixth among Group of 5 programs in the past seven seasons.

Arkansas State returns 12 starters — seven on offense and five on defense — and 54 lettermen from last season. The Red Wolves finished the 2017 season 7-5 overall and 6-2 in conference. They extended the program’s consecutive bowl game appearances to a school-record seven years.

The team returns 10 All-Sun Belt selections from a year ago, including Offensive Player of the Year Justice Hansen at quarterback. The other returning all-conference players are Omar Bayless, a junior at wide receiver; Ronheen Bingham, senior, defensive end; Lanard Bonner. senior, offensive lineman; Justin Clifton, senior, defensive back; B.J. Edmonds, junior, defensive back; Cody Grace, junior, punter; Justin McInnis, senior, wide receiver; Jacob Still, sophomore, offensive lineman; and Sawyer Williams, junior, kicker.

Blake Anderson returns for his fifth season as head coach with a

26-6 Sun Belt Conference record, giving him an .813 winning percentage that ranks second all-time in league history among head coaches who spent at least three years in the conference. His 26 Sun Belt victories are the sixth most ever by any head coach and he enters 2018 six wins behind Rick Stockstill, who coached Middle Tennessee from

2006-12, for second place on the list.

Arkansas State is set to open its 2018 season Sept. 1 with a 6 p.m. kickoff at Centennial Bank Stadium against Southeast Missouri State in Jonesboro.