Lots of good stuff here from Chris Vannini - who is an absolute must follow for G5 fans. Won't paste the entire article because it's behind a paywall but I'll share SBC and Marshall tidbits:
1. 1.7 percent (Not happy)
2. 0.2 percent
3. 8.1 percent
4. 16.9 percent
5. 73 percent (Very happy)
How do you feel about the Sun Belt keeping divisions?
Like it: 74.8 percent
Don’t like it: 13.8 percent
No opinion: 11.4 percent
How would you rate commissioner Keith Gill’s performance?
1. 0.7 percent (Poor job)
2. 2.2 percent
3. 13.9 percent
4. 38.4 percent
5. 44.7 percent (Great job)
How happy are you with the Sun Belt’s TV situation?
1. 4.1 percent (Not happy)
2. 13.4 percent
3. 33.9 percent
4. 32.2 percent
5. 16.3 percent
Where would you rank the Sun Belt among the G5 leagues?
1. 39.8 percent (Best)
2. 34.2 percent
3. 13.3 percent
4. 8.4 percent
5. 4.3 percent (Worst)
Who will win the Sun Belt this year? (JMU not eligible)
Appalachian State: 49.3 percent
Coastal Carolina: 22 percent
Marshall: 10.9 percent
Louisiana: 7.9 percent
Georgia Southern: 2.8 percent
Georgia State: 2.5 percent
All others less than 1 percent
The Sun Belt, far and away, now has the strongest approval rating among its fans. The decision to add James Madison, Marshall, Southern Miss and Old Dominion was loved by fans on both sides. The conference has doubled-down on regional rivalries, including the decision to keep divisions.
A year ago, 19.2 percent of Sun Belt fans rated the league’s membership as a 5. That jumped to 73 percent, by far the highest of any G5 league. Gill received a 4 or 5 from 83.1 percent of respondents, nearly double the numbers last year. Nearly 40 percent now say it’s the best G5 league, up from 11.5 percent last year. You could make the case that Sun Belt fans are happier with realignment than anyone else in college football, and reader comments expressed that.
“The Sun Belt won the most recent round of realignment. No question. They brought in fan bases that will show up for games regardless of performance, teams that provide quality football, and kept it regional, allowing for easier travel approaches.”
“I wish every conference thought like the Sun Belt.”
“Divisions are going to hurt this conference in the immediate future simply because the East is significantly better than the West. I’m really looking forward to seeing how well the Sun Belt performs against other conferences and teams not in the top 5 percent of CFB this upcoming season.”
“Really wish we would prioritize basketball like we have football, soccer, and baseball.”
“The Sun Belt seems like the best off of all the Group of 5 conferences after the latest realignment. It may not have the sexiest brands like the AAC, but they’ve found their niche of teams, and I don’t see many of them searching for greener pastures in the near future.”
What Group of 5 college football fans think about realignment, 2022 season and more
Fans of teams in the Group of 5 conferences took our survey to weigh in on realignment, the New Year's Six bid, 2022 races and more.
theathletic.com
What Group of 5 college football fans think about realignment, 2022 season and more
Fans of teams in the Group of 5 conferences took our survey to weigh in on realignment, the New Year's Six bid, 2022 races and more.
theathletic.com
Sun Belt (around 415 responses)
How happy are you with the Sun Belt’s new membership?1. 1.7 percent (Not happy)
2. 0.2 percent
3. 8.1 percent
4. 16.9 percent
5. 73 percent (Very happy)
How do you feel about the Sun Belt keeping divisions?
Like it: 74.8 percent
Don’t like it: 13.8 percent
No opinion: 11.4 percent
How would you rate commissioner Keith Gill’s performance?
1. 0.7 percent (Poor job)
2. 2.2 percent
3. 13.9 percent
4. 38.4 percent
5. 44.7 percent (Great job)
How happy are you with the Sun Belt’s TV situation?
1. 4.1 percent (Not happy)
2. 13.4 percent
3. 33.9 percent
4. 32.2 percent
5. 16.3 percent
Where would you rank the Sun Belt among the G5 leagues?
1. 39.8 percent (Best)
2. 34.2 percent
3. 13.3 percent
4. 8.4 percent
5. 4.3 percent (Worst)
Who will win the Sun Belt this year? (JMU not eligible)
Appalachian State: 49.3 percent
Coastal Carolina: 22 percent
Marshall: 10.9 percent
Louisiana: 7.9 percent
Georgia Southern: 2.8 percent
Georgia State: 2.5 percent
All others less than 1 percent
The Sun Belt, far and away, now has the strongest approval rating among its fans. The decision to add James Madison, Marshall, Southern Miss and Old Dominion was loved by fans on both sides. The conference has doubled-down on regional rivalries, including the decision to keep divisions.
A year ago, 19.2 percent of Sun Belt fans rated the league’s membership as a 5. That jumped to 73 percent, by far the highest of any G5 league. Gill received a 4 or 5 from 83.1 percent of respondents, nearly double the numbers last year. Nearly 40 percent now say it’s the best G5 league, up from 11.5 percent last year. You could make the case that Sun Belt fans are happier with realignment than anyone else in college football, and reader comments expressed that.
“The Sun Belt won the most recent round of realignment. No question. They brought in fan bases that will show up for games regardless of performance, teams that provide quality football, and kept it regional, allowing for easier travel approaches.”
“I wish every conference thought like the Sun Belt.”
“Divisions are going to hurt this conference in the immediate future simply because the East is significantly better than the West. I’m really looking forward to seeing how well the Sun Belt performs against other conferences and teams not in the top 5 percent of CFB this upcoming season.”
“Really wish we would prioritize basketball like we have football, soccer, and baseball.”
“The Sun Belt seems like the best off of all the Group of 5 conferences after the latest realignment. It may not have the sexiest brands like the AAC, but they’ve found their niche of teams, and I don’t see many of them searching for greener pastures in the near future.”
