The Sun Belt sees its fair share of shootouts, making for one of the more exciting conferences in the country. Troy has won back-to-back titles, but they will lose a lot of talent this season, which could open the door for a few other teams. 

I list my 2010 Sun Belt football predictions below, offering the finishing order for each team in the conference.

Take a look at my overall 2010 college football predictions article to find out which teams have the best shot at a national title this year. The piece also shows which teams have the best chance to beat the college football odds .

Sun Belt Predictions:

1.) Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders - QB Dwight Dasher is back after throwing for 2,789 yards and 23 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,153 more yards and 13 scores. He is one of the few returning starting quarterbacks in the conference, and his offense put up 32.0 PPG last year. Four offensive linemen and most of their playmakers are back, as well, so the offense should pick up right where it left off.  The defense will be solid, with six starters back from a unit that gave up 23.7 PPG a year ago. The Blue Raiders get Troy at home on October 5th.

2.) Troy Trojans - Only five starters return on offense, and they lost Sun Belt Player of the Year, QB Levi Brown. The defense is an even bigger concern. A unit that gave up 29.8 PPG in 2009 returns just three starters. Larry Blakeney has proven that he can recruit, and there will be some talent here. Just not enough to overcome MTSU.

3.) Louisiana Rajin’ Cajuns - QB Chris Masson is back and the offense should improve after scoring 22.2 PPG a year ago. The biggest improvement will come from a defense that allowed 30.3 PPG, with seven starters returning. This team went 4-4 in the Sun Belt last year, and a 5-3 mark this season will be good enough for third.

4.) Florida Atlantic Owls - FAU gave up 33.8 PPG last year, and the defense must improve with eight starters back. The defense should be fine with so much returning experience, but the offense is in shambles with only three starters back. The Owls must replace their entire offensive line.

5.) Arkansas State Red Wolves - All five starting offensive linemen return, but that’s all the Red Wolves have to work with on offense.  And they desperately need new skill players to step up after averaging just 22.7 PPG last year. Only five starters are back defensively as well, giving Arkansas State just 10 returning starters to work with. They won’t have enough experience to compete with the Sun Belt's top-tier programs.

6.) Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks - RB Frank Goodin returns after rushing for 1,126 yards and 13 touchdowns, so the offense is in good hands with him. QB Kolton Browning is an elite talent, but the defense is a concern with only four returning starters.

7.)  North Texas Mean Green - Nine starters return to an offense that put up some big numbers last season, including 40 points against Florida Atlantic and 68 points on Western Kentucky. The Mean Green will put plenty of points on the board, but the defense gave up 35.6 PPG last year. And if they cannot improve the stop unit, they won’t be very competitive this season either. Seven starters return on defense.

8.)  Florida International Golden Panthers - The offense put up only 22.9 PPG last year. And once again, the offensive line is in shambles and the QB position is a major question mark. The defense is also hurting with only three starters back. The Panthers defense yielded 35.3 PPG last season.

9.)  Western Kentucky Hilltoppers - It cannot get any worse after a 0-12 season, and with 16 starters back, the Hilltoppers should see some improvement. Plus, WKU came close to winning at the end of last year. They concluded the ‘09 season with three straight losses by six points or less. It’s probably safe to say that they will get a win or two this season, but not much more.