By BJ Bennett
SouthernPigskin.com

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Ranking the top ten non-conference games in the Sun Belt for 2021.

1. Louisiana at Texas, September 4th
This border battle will be an early college football showcase as both teams will likely be in the national top 25. After the ‘Ragin Cajuns beat eventual Fiesta Bowl Champion Iowa State 31-14 in Ames to open last season, you better believe Louisiana will have the Longhorns’ full attention. Head coaches Billy Napier and Steve Sarkisian, who will be making his Texas debut, were both at Alabama in 2016.

2. Louisiana at Liberty, November 20th
The Ragin’ Cajuns and Flames combined to go an impressive 20-2 in 2020, with the two losses coming by a combined four points. Both teams will very likely enter this season ranked in the national polls. Two of college football’s premier quarterbacks will be on display here in Louisiana’s Levi Lewis and Liberty’s Malik Willis. A head coaching matchup of Billy Napier and Hugh Freeze will also get a lot of attention.

3. Georgia Southern vs BYU, November 20th
Two programs with a lot of history will meet in Statesboro as the Eagles have six FCS national championships and the Cougars won an FBS national title in 1984. BYU’s trip to Coastal Carolina was one of the finishes of the year in college football a season ago. In terms of opponent profile, this late November pairing will be the biggest home game in Georgia Southern history.

4. Appalachian State at Miami, September 11th
The Mountaineers have played with some of the biggest programs in the country and the Hurricanes will present yet another opportunity. A “brand name” game, Appalachian State-Miami will be the second contest for both teams, with the Mountaineers opening on a Thursday against East Carolina in Charlotte and the Hurricanes meeting defending national champion Alabama in Atlanta.

5. Georgia State vs Army, September 4th
Two years ago, the Panthers edged the Black Knights in a competitive game in Atlanta that came down to a final touchdown in the fourth quarter. Army, fresh off a 9-3 season and getting preseason top 25 consideration, will present a major challenge and opportunity for Georgia State once again. The Panthers have largely played well on the big stage in recent seasons.

6. Arkansas State at Tulsa, September 25th
The Butch Jones era will start with some showcase games before this one, a home game with Memphis and a road contest at Washington, but a matchup with the Golden Hurricane will give the Red Wolves a chance to measure themselves against a Group of Five opponent which spent much of last season in the national top 25. Arkansas State won at Tulsa three years ago, while this past year’s game was cancelled.

7. South Alabama at Tennessee, November 20th
There is a lot of momentum around the Jaguars for this fall as expectations are that they can be a contending team in the Sun Belt. This opportunity against an SEC opponent will come during a staggering stretch to finish the season for South Alabama: at Appalachian State, at Tennessee, Coastal Carolina. Former South Carolina and Utah quarterback Jake Bentley, now with the Jaguars, knows the ‘Vols well.

8. Arkansas State vs Memphis, September 11th
The Butch Jones era in Jonesboro will officially open with Central Arkansas the week prior, but the Tigers, who went 8-3, have been a consistent name atop the Group of Five and defeated the Red Wolves 37-24 a year ago, will be a major barometer. An early G5 spotlight, a win here in a big-time home game, no less, would give Jones and Arkansas State major momentum.

9. Troy vs Liberty, September 11th
A lot of production returns for the Trojans, who will be a much more experienced team in 2021. Troy’s season finale from a year ago, leading undefeated Coastal Carolina with less than a minute to play, was an example of the team’s potential. The Trojans will get an early opportunity this fall, with nationally-ranked Liberty coming to town in the second week of the season.

10. Georgia State at Auburn, September 18th
Early in the 2019 season the Panthers got a win over an SEC foe with their historic triumph over Tennessee in Neyland Stadium, a win that helped elevate the program overall. Georgia State will now take on the Tigers early in the Bryan Harsin era at Auburn. Though the two campuses are only a little over 100 miles away, this will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams.