Sun Belt preview, pick, predictions: Ryan Beard’s Coastal Carolina can upset the odds

Ryan Beard has taken over Coastal Carolina. Getty Images We should have a very different Sun Belt in 2026. Not only did the conference lose Texas State and add Louisiana Tech a year earlier than expected, but James Madison will look like a completely different team after it represented the Fun Belt at the College Football Playoff last winter. JMU will once again lose a promising head coach, as Bob Chesney will follow the path of Curt Cignetti from the sidelines at Bridgeforth Stadium to a Power 4 program. But instead of replacing Chesney with another up-and-comer, the Dukes hired Billy Napier after his stint at Florida. Napier is a known commodity to Sun Belt diehards, as he turned Louisiana into the conference’s headlining act during his four-season stint. The massive amount of turnover a