The Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Game is an annual college football game that determines the season champion of the Sun Belt Conference (SBC). The game is played between the SBC regular-season divisional champions from the East and West divisions. First contested in 2018, the game is typically played on the first Saturday of December. The current champion are the James Madison Dukes.
History
In 1987, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) approved a proposal made by two Division II conferences that allowed any conference with 12 football members to split into divisions and stage a championship game between the divisional winners, with that game not counting against NCAA limits on regular-season contests. However, the rule would not see its first use until 1992, when the Southeastern Conference, which had added Arkansas and South Carolina the previous year, launched its title game. In early 2016, NCAA legislation was passed that largely deregulated FBS conference championship games, allowing a conference with fewer than 12 teams to stage a championship game that featured either (1) the top two teams at the end of a full round-robin conference schedule, or (2) the winners of each of two divisions, with each team playing a full round-robin schedule within its division. Several months later, the Sun Belt Conference announced that they would be introducing a football championship game starting in the 2018 season.
In 2017, the conference announced the two divisions that teams would compete in, with division winners qualifying for the championship game. As the conference would have 10 teams competing in football in the 2018 season, East and West divisions were created with five teams each, with the championship game to be played at the home stadium of the team with the best College Football Playoff ranking. If no teams are ranked in the CFP selection committee, the conference will determine home field using a formula based on six computer ratings that were used in the old Bowl Championship Series standings. Unlike the conference's sports of baseball and volleyball, which are also divided into divisions, the Jaguars of South Alabama competed in the West division rather than the East.
In 2018, Appalachian State qualified as the East division team, as they had defeated Troy head-to-head, with both teams finishing the regular season with 7–1 conference records. Louisiana qualified as the West division team, as they had defeated Arkansas State head-to-head, with both teams finishing the regular season with 5–3 conference records. In the inaugural championship game, Appalachian State defeated Louisiana, 30–19. The 2019 game was a rematch of the same teams, and again saw Appalachian State defeat Louisiana, this time by a score of 45–38.
The 2020 championship game, set to feature Coastal Carolina and Louisiana, was canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic effects within the Coastal Carolina program. As a result, the teams were declared co-champions for the 2020 season.
The 2021 game saw Louisiana and Appalachian State in the title game for the third time; however, unlike their prior two championship meetings at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Louisiana won over Appalachian State 24–16 at Cajun Field for their first outright Sun Belt Conference title.
With the addition of four new members in 2022—James Madison, Marshall, Old Dominion, and Southern Miss—the SBC adopted a new alignment for all divisional sports, with the new dividing line being the Alabama–Georgia border. Accordingly, James Madison, Marshall, and Old Dominion joined the East Division, with Southern Miss joining the West Division. Troy moved from the East to the West.
Since the 2024 season, the SBC has been the only FBS conference to use a divisional alignment in football. The other three conferences that had a divisional alignment in the 2023 season—the Big Ten, MAC, and SEC—eliminated their divisions after that season.
Results by year Below are the results from all Sun Belt Conference Football Championship Games played. The winning team appears in bold font, on a background of their primary team color. Rankings are from the College Football Playoff committee ranking released prior to the game. +West DivisionEast DivisionSite AttendanceMVP Louisiana19 Appalachian State30 Kidd Brewer Stadium • Boone, North Carolina 14,693 RB Darrynton Evans, App State Louisiana38 Appalachian State45 18,6182020† Louisiana – Coastal Carolina – Brooks Stadium • Conway, South Carolina – – Louisiana 24 Appalachian State 16 Cajun Field • Lafayette, Louisiana 31,014 QB Levi Lewis, Louisiana Troy 45 Coastal Carolina 26Veterans Memorial Stadium • Troy, Alabama 21,554 QB Gunnar Watson, Troy Troy 49 Appalachian State 23 20,183 RB Kimani Vidal, Troy Louisiana 3 Marshall 31 Cajun Field • Lafayette, Louisiana 20,067 QB Braylon Braxton, Marshall Troy 14 James Madison 31 Bridgeforth Stadium • Harrisonburg, Virginia 19,836 RB Wayne Knight † The 2020 game was canceled by Coastal Carolina due to COVID-19 issues.
Results by team SelectionsSchoolWinsLossesWin %Year(s) wonYear(s) lostNo contest 5 Louisiana 1 3 2021 2018, 2019, 2024 2020 4 Appalachian State 2 2 2018, 2019 2021, 2023 3 Troy 2 1 2022, 2023 2025 2 Coastal Carolina 0 1 2022 2020 1Marshall 1 0 2024 1James Madison 1 0 2025 0Arkansas State 0 0 0Georgia Southern 0 0 0Georgia State 0 0 0 Louisiana–Monroe 0 0 0 Louisiana Tech 0 0 0 Old Dominion 0 0 0South Alabama 0 0 0 Southern Miss 0 0
Rematches The Sun Belt Conference Football Championship game has featured a rematch of a regular-season game a total of three times (2018, 2019, 2021). The team which won the regular-season game is 3–0 in the rematches.
No results by team School Texas State
Arkansas State, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Louisiana–Monroe, Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion, South Alabama, and Southern Miss have yet to earn a Sun Belt Football Championship Game bid. Texas State did not make an appearance in a Sun Belt Conference Championship Game while a member of the conference (2013–2025).
Game records TeamRecord, Team vs. OpponentYearMost points scored (one team)49, Troy vs. Appalachian State2023Most points scored (losing team)38, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State2019Fewest points scored (winning team)24, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State2021Fewest points scored3, Louisiana vs. Marshall2024Most points scored (both teams)83, Appalachian State (45) vs. Louisiana (38)2019Fewest points scored (both teams)34, Marshall (31) vs. Louisiana (3)2024Most points scored in a half35, Appalachian State (1st half) vs. Louisiana35, Troy (2nd half) vs. Appalachian State20192023Most points scored in a half (both teams)52, Appalachian State vs. Louisiana (1st half)2019Largest margin of victory28, Marshall (31) vs. Louisiana (3)2024Smallest margin of victory7, Appalachian State (45) vs. Louisiana (38)2019Total yards513, Louisiana (354 passing, 159 rushing) vs. Appalachian State2019Rushing yards271, Troy vs. Appalachian State2023Passing yards354, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State2019First downs 31, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State2019Fewest yards allowed255, Marshall vs. Louisiana (199 passing, 56 rushing)2024Fewest rushing yards allowed56, Marshall vs. Louisiana2021Fewest passing yards allowed75, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State2018IndividualRecord, Player, Team vs. OpponentYearAll-purpose yards 233, Kimani Vidal, Troy vs. Appalachian State 2023Touchdowns responsible for 5, Kimani Vidal, Troy vs. Appalachian State 2023Rushing yards 233, Kimani Vidal, Troy vs. Appalachian State 2023Rushing touchdowns 5, Kimani Vidal, Troy vs. Appalachian State 2023Passing yards 354, Levi Lewis, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State 2021Passing touchdowns 4, Levi Lewis, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State 2019Receiving yards 134, RaJae' Johnson, Troy vs. Coastal Carolina 2022Receiving touchdowns 2, shared by:RaJae' Johnson, Troy vs. Coastal CarolinaDarrynton Evans, Appalachian State vs. LouisianaPeter LeBlanc, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State 202220192019Tackles 13, Jacques Boudreaux, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State 2019Sacks 2, shared by:Javon Solomon, Troy vs. Appalachian StateNick Hampton, Appalachian State vs. LouisianaZi’Yon Hill, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State 202320212021Interceptions 1, shared by multiple players, most recent:Josh Moten, Marshall vs. Louisiana 2024Long PlaysRecord, Player, Team vs. OpponentYearTouchdown run 56, Levi Lewis, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State 2021Touchdown pass 67, RaJae' Johnson from Gunnar Watson, Troy vs. Coastal Carolina 2022Kickoff return 97, Darrynton Evans, Appalachian State vs. Louisiana 2018Punt return 12, Jacob Bernard, Louisiana vs. Marshall 2024Interception return 32, Tae Hayes, Appalachian State vs. Louisiana 2018Field goal 53, Stevie Artigue, Louisiana vs. Appalachian State 2019MiscellaneousRecord, Team vs. TeamYearGame attendance 31,014, Appalachian State at Louisiana 2021Source: Sun Belt Conference
See also List of NCAA Division I FBS conference championship games
References