Odds to Win the Sun Belt in 2025 College Football Season (James Madison Opens as Heavy Favorites)

Sean Treppedi | Aug 18, 2025

JMU opens as +260 favorites to win the Sun Belt Conference in 2025. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Since joining the FBS, James Madison has hit the ground running. The Dukes narrowly missed the 2024 Sun Belt title game thanks to a pair of razor-thin defeats, but a bruising run game, deep backfield and a reloaded defense keep them in pole position for 2025 as +260 favorites. 

The uncertainty lies under center — star QB Alonza Barnett III is recovering from a late-season knee injury — but head coach Bob Chesney has insurance in Holy Cross product Matthew Sluka and Richmond’s Camden Coleman. If the offensive line gels quickly and the passing game finds rhythm, the Dukes’ mix of physicality and balance could finally push them over the top.

No Sun Belt program embraces roster volatility quite like Texas State under G.J. Kinne. The Bobcats lost their starting quarterback, top rusher and three leading receivers from last season’s nine-win campaign — but 36 transfers later, they’re once again one of the league’s most intriguing wild cards with second-best odds at +700. 

Kinne’s fast-paced attack won’t lack weapons, even if the quarterback battle bleeds deep into the fall. Defensively, stars like edge rusher Kalil Alexander return, but the unit is otherwise remade from scratch, creating both high-upside potential and the risk of regression. The West Division is tight enough that a fast start could snowball into the program’s first championship appearance. Betting against Kinne’s ability to reload has been a losing proposition so far.

Major Applewhite’s second season in Mobile comes with plenty of turnover, but also enough returning firepower to make noise in the West Division. The Jaguars lost explosive playmakers to the transfer portal, yet still brought back quarterback Bishop Davenport and workhorse back Kentrel Bullock behind a sturdy offensive line core. 

The defense is more of a mystery, with portal additions filling most of the two-deep and question marks in the secondary. Linebacker Blayne Myrick remains a steadying force, and if a few newcomers pop early, the Jags have a path to contend at +750. Applewhite’s squad may not be flashy, but they’ve got the makeup to win close games — something that defined much of last year’s Sun Belt race.

After back-to-back solid seasons, Arkansas State is inching back toward the program’s glory years — and they might just be ahead of schedule. Quarterback Jaylen Raynor, 1,000-yard receiver Corey Rucker, and dynamic running back Ja’Quez Cross form arguably the best offensive trio in the Sun Belt. But the Red Wolves’ ceiling will be determined by a defense that returns just one starter from last year’s group. 

Butch Jones and new DC Griff McCarley worked the portal hard, landing several disruptive front-seven pieces to complement proven pass rusher Bryan Whitehead. With home games against Texas State, Louisiana and Georgia Southern, the schedule sets up for a potential West Division push. If the defense can hold serve, Arkansas State has the offensive firepower to turn +1900 into a legitimate title threat as my favorite dark horse pick in the Sun Belt.

2025 Sun Belt Conference Odds

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

• James Madison: +260
• Texas State: +700
• South Alabama: +750
• Louisiana: +750
• Georgia Southern: +850
• Old Dominion: +1100
• Troy: +1300
• Appalachian State: +1400
• Coastal Carolina: +1600
• Arkansas State: +1900
• Southern Miss: +2000
• Marshall: +2700
• UL Monroe: +3500
• Georgia State: +4000

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Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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