2010 Sun Belt Conference football season

The 2010 Sun Belt Conference football season was the 10th season of college football play for the Sun Belt Conference. The season began September 2, 2010 and concluded January 6, 2011 as part of the 2010-11 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Sun Belt Conference consists of 9 football members: Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Troy, and Western Kentucky.

2010 Sun Belt Conference football season
LeagueNCAA Division I FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision)
Sportfootball
DurationSeptember 2, 2010 to January 6, 2011
Number of teams9
TV partner(s)ESPN
2011 NFL Draft
Top draft pickTE Rob Housler, Florida Atlantic
Picked byArizona Cardinals, 69th overall
Regular season
Football seasons
← 2009
2011 →
2010 Sun Belt Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Troy +   6 2     8 5  
FIU +   6 2     7 6  
Middle Tennessee   5 3     6 7  
Louisiana–Monroe   4 4     5 7  
Arkansas State   4 4     4 8  
Florida Atlantic   3 5     4 8  
Louisiana–Lafayette   3 5     3 9  
North Texas   3 5     3 9  
Western Kentucky   2 6     2 10  
  • + – Conference co-champions

Previous season

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Troy (9-4) was the Sun Belt champions and lost to Central Michigan in the GMAC Bowl 44-41 in overtime. Although Troy was the conference champion, the team decided to accept an invitation to play in the GMAC Bowl, giving another Sun Belt team the privilege of playing in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. That team was Middle Tennessee (10-3), who became the Sun Belt's first ever 10 win team since the league began playing FBS football in 2001. The 10-3 record earned Middle Tennessee a trip to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl where they faced Southern Miss and won 42-32.

One other Sun Belt team, Louisiana-Monroe, was bowl eligible with record of 6-6 but was not invited to a bowl game.

Preseason

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Sun Belt Coaches Poll

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The 2010 Sun Belt coaches preseason poll was announced during a two-day media web-based event on July 19 and 20. Middle Tennessee was selected as the favorite to win the conference.

First Place Votes in Parentheses

  1. Middle Tennessee – 75 (5)
  2. Troy – 73 (3)
  3. Arkansas State – 53
  4. Louisiana-Lafayette – 49 (1)
  5. Florida Atlantic - 45
  6. Florida International – 42
  7. Louisiana-Monroe – 32
  8. North Texas – 27
  9. Western Kentucky - 9

[1]

Pre-Season All-Sun Belt Team

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[2]

Offense

  • Dwight Dasher (MT, Sr., QB)
  • Alfred Morris (FAU, Jr., RB)
  • Lance Dunbar (NT, Jr., RB)
  • T. Y. Hilton (FIU, Jr., WR)
  • Jerrel Jernigan (Troy, Sr., WR)
  • Ladarius Green (ULL, Jr., TE)
  • Derek Newton (ASU, Sr., OL)
  • Brad Serirni (FIU, Sr., OL)
  • Mark Fisher (MT, Sr., OL)
  • Esteban Santiago (NT, Sr., OL)
  • Tyler Clark (Troy, Sr., OL)

Defense

  • Bryan Hall (ASU, Sr., DL)
  • Troy Evans (ULM, Jr., DL)
  • Jamari Lattimore (MT, Sr., DL)
  • Brandon Akpunku (NT, Jr., DL)
  • Demario Davis (ASU, Jr., LB)
  • Grant Fleming (ULL, Sr., LB)
  • Craig Robertson (NT, Sr., LB)
  • Tavious Polo (FAU, Sr., DB)
  • Anthony Gaitor (FIU, Sr., DB)
  • Jeremy Kellem (MT, Sr., DB)
  • Bryan Willis (Troy, So., DB)

Special teams

  • Alan Gendreau (MT, Jr., Place Kicker)
  • Spencer Ortego (ULL, Sr., Punter)
  • T. Y. Hilton (FIU, Jr., Return Specialist)

Offensive Player of the Year

  • Dwight Dasher (MT, Sr., QB)

Defensive Player of the Year

  • Bryan Hall (ASU, Sr., DL)

Postseason

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All three bowl-eligible Sun Belt teams were invited to participate in bowl games. These teams compiled a 2-1 record in postseason play.

Bowl Date Time SBC team (Record) Opponent (Record) Site TV Result Attendance
2010 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl December 18 9:00 p.m. Troy (7-5) Ohio (8-4) Mercedes-Benz SuperdomeNew Orleans ESPN W 48-21 29,159
2010 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl December 26 8:30 p.m. Florida International (6-6) Toledo (8-4) Ford FieldDetroit ESPN W 34-32 32,431
2011 GoDaddy.com Bowl January 6 8:00 p.m. Middle Tennessee (6-6) Miami (OH) (9-4) Ladd–Peebles StadiumMobile, Alabama ESPN L 21-35 38,168

References

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  1. ^ Preseason Sun Belt Coaches Poll Archived 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine SunBeltSports.org
  2. ^ Preseason All-Sun Belt Team Archived 2011-07-18 at the Wayback Machine SunBeltSports.org