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No. 16/16 Coastal Carolina and South Alabama will put their unblemished records on the line in their Sun Belt Conference openers Saturday. The Chanticleers and Jaguars will host ULM and Louisiana, who proved victorious in their conference openers last week.

Troy will visit South Carolina in the lone non-conference bout of the weekend, as it looks for its second victory over an SEC opponent since 2017.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

• BLAME IT ALL ON MY ROOTS – A pair of college teammates—Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott and App State head coach Shawn Clark—will square off when Georgia State hosts App State at 1 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+. Elliott and Clark were teammates at App State in 1994 and 1995—and Elliott spent 13 seasons on the coaching staff for the Mountaineers (1997-2009) before taking the reins of the Panther program in 2017. App State is 7-0 in the all-time series, with last season’s 17-13 Mountaineer victory being the closest margin to date.
• KEEP THE STREAK – No. 16/16 Coastal Carolina, which has been ranked in both national polls for 16-straight weeks, carries a nine-game conference winning streak into its 2021 conference opener versus ULM at 1:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+. The Chanticleers also boast a 10-game unbeaten streak at Brooks Stadium. On the opposing sideline, ULM is coming off back-to-back victories for the first time since a string of four-straight wins from Oct. 13-Nov. 10, 2018. The Warhawks are 3-0 all-time against Coastal Carolina, including handing the Chanticleers their most recent conference loss, 45-42, on Nov. 23, 2019.
• MEN OF TROY – Troy’s defensive unit ranks fifth in the nation, allowing just 243.5 yards per game, trailing only Georgia (181.8), Wisconsin (210.3), Iowa State (217.2) and Houston (230.3). The Trojans also rank second in the country with 4.50 sacks per game and fourth with 9.5 tackles for loss per game. That nationally-ranked defense will attempt to lead Troy to victory when it visits South Carolina at 2:30 p.m. Saturday on SEC Network. A win would be the Trojans first over the Gamecocks, who lead the all-time series 3-0, and would be the team’s second over an SEC foe since 2017, joining its 24-21 win over LSU on Sept. 30, 2017.
• IN THE WIN COLUMN – After season-opening victories on Sept. 4, Arkansas State and Georgia Southern have each dropped three-straight. One team will get back in the win column this weekend, when the Eagles host the Red Wolves at 3 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+. The Red Wolves lead the all-time series, 3-2, including a 38-33 win in the latest meeting on Nov. 23, 2019.
• BEST IN THE WEST – Louisiana has never lost a Sun Belt Conference West Division game under head coach Billy Napier. The Ragin’ Cajuns, who have won three-straight West Division titles, will visit an unbeaten South Alabama squad at 7 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+. Louisiana owns a 7-2 record in the all-times series, including five-straight victories, though South Alabama is 2-2 in home contests against the Ragin’ Cajuns.

WHERE TO WATCH

Date	Game	Time	Broadcast
Saturday, Oct. 2	App State at Georgia State | Game Notes | Game Notes	1 p.m.	ESPN+
Saturday, Oct. 2	ULM at No. 16/16 Coastal Carolina | Game Notes | Game Notes	1:30 p.m.	ESPN+
Saturday, Oct. 2	Troy at South Carolina | Game Notes	2:30 p.m.	SEC Network
Saturday, Oct. 2	Arkansas State at Georgia Southern | Game Notes | Game Notes	3 p.m.	ESPN+
Saturday, Oct. 2	Louisiana at South Alabama | Game Notes | Game Notes	7 p.m.	ESPN+

All Times CT

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