The Sunbelt is Once More America's Weakest FBS Conference.

Only one team in the Sunbelt has a winning record after four weeks. No other conference can say that.

Perhaps the most disappointing start to the year belongs to Florida Atlantic, where Howard Schnellenberger's Owls are 0-3. They were blown out by Nebraska in week one, beaten soundly by South Carolina, and then edged out by what appears a very mediocre UL-Monroe team last week.

Florida International is also a hugely disappointing 0-3. They looked like the league dark horse after hanging around vs. Alabama in their opener, but have since been beaten by Rutgers and Toledo. The bright side is that they were competitive in all three games, but still...don't you have to start winning at some point?

Western Kentucky is 0-4, but they are hanging around in most games. There is definite progress there, and you may see them turn the corner next year.

North Texas is 1-3 after a Week One upset win over Ball State, a second half collapse vs. Ohio to give that game away, a week three route by Alabama, and second quarter no show vs. MTSU. Clearly there is dramatic improvement on the team as they have been in three of the four games, but will that translate into wins this season?

Arkansas State lost by three points to Troy in their conference opener to drop to 1-2 on the season (the other loss a 38-9 loss to Nebraska.) It seems clear enough that they are a good team that can compete with the cream of the Sunbelt, but that has generally been the case for the last few years. The real question is the same one that has hounded them for the past few seasons...can they beat a top level Sunbelt squad? Don't look for them to get back on the winning side of the equation this week against Iowa in Iowa.

The Louisiana schools have been a modest positive surprise for the conference early on. I doubt anyone had both of them at .500 after four weeks. ULL's defense looked pretty good in the win vs. Kansas State and the loss to LSU, but the entire team looked awful vs. Nebraska. Still ULL looks like they could be a dangerous team in conference play.

The UL Monroe upset of FAU was a modest surprise. As bad as FAU has been, I think most thought UL Monroe would not pull that off. Still...a good win for that program.

Troy seems to have bounced back a bit and re-established themselves as a favorite if not the favorite to win the Sunbelt title. They still don't look as good as they were supposed to be, but that was a good win over Arkansas State.

Finally the only Sunbelt team with a winning record is the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders. They took advantage of a really bad 2nd quarter by UNT to dispatch the Mean Green and win their Sunbelt opener on the road. In my opinion they will likely finish second in the conference, but on the same token, they have the skill players to score on any defense in the league, the defense to slow any offense in the league, and the mental discipline to make plays when needed to win games. It certainly would not be a much of a surprise to see them win it all in a year where no Sunbelt teams really stand out.

This weeks' games

Arkansas State @ #13 Iowa—As much respect as I have for this year's ASU squad, I cannot see them hanging around in the second half against Iowa. On the flip side, Big 10 schools don't generally blow out other conferences. Let's say 31-14.

FIU @ ULM—Last year ULM beat FIU in Florida 31-27. I really want to say FIU gets their act together and gets revenge here, repeating their 2005 feat, but think I have to accept that the FIU in week one was a mirage. ULM has won every game since and I think they will win this one too. I'll say 35-24.

Wyoming @ FAU—Wyoming won twp of three games at home and hung with UT until halftime. Now the flipside is they were run off the field by a lousy Colorado team on the road. I am going to say that won't happen twice in two road games in a row. Besides, FAU has not shown anything beyond the ability to hang around. Lets say 30-28 Wyoming on a late FG.

MTSU @ Troy—Tuesday's game should be quite a good one. MTSU is less talented than Troy, but seem tougher minded. I am going to go with the Blue Raiders here, 30-27.