Football | 7/21/2016 1:49:00 PM
STATESBORO, Ga. – Georgia Southern has been picked to finish third the Sun Belt in the 2016 Preseason Coaches Poll, announced today by the conference.
The Eagles received 98 points and one first-place vote, as Appalachian State (114 points, five first-place votes) was picked first with Arkansas State (110 points, five first-place votes) was picked second. Following GS, Georgia State was picked fourth, followed by Troy, UL-Lafayette, South Alabama, Idaho, New Mexico State, Texas State and UL-Monroe, respectively.
The conference will announce its Preseason All-Sun Belt Teams Friday afternoon and will hold its annual Preseason Media Day on Monday, July 25. Running back
Matt Breida, linebacker
Ironhead Gallon and coach
Tyson Summers will participate in that event at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. The day officially opens with Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson's State of the Sun Belt address at 9 a.m. (CT).
Georgia Southern won the 2014 Sun Belt title in its first season in the league and won the 2015 GoDaddy Bowl last year in its first year of bowl eligibility.
The Eagles open camp on Monday, Aug. 1 in Statesboro and will open their season on Sept. 3 at home against Savannah State.
Media Day Coverage
ESPN3 will air two hours of live commercial-free coverage, including interviews with Benson and each of the conference's 11 head football coaches along with Coastal Carolina head coach Joe Moglia. Matt Stewart and John Gregory, the play-by-play and color announcers of the Sun Belt Network on ESPN3, will anchor the live telecast, which begins at 1 p.m. (CT).
In addition, the GS radio crew of
Danny Reed and Terry Harvin will be live from New Orleans, broadcasting from 11-noon (CT) on
GSEagles.com/watch. The audio broadcast, which will be free, will feature Coach Summers, the two players and other guests.
The Sun Belt Digital Network live coverage of media day will be available for free on media day central and on SunBeltSports.org. Coverage will begin at 9 a.m. (CT) with the State of the Sun Belt Conference address with Commissioner Benson. Coverage will continue all day as host Danielle Jenkins visits with coaches and student-athletes from all teams. The broadcast will feature live look-ins on coaches and student-athletes at the podiums throughout the day.
Fans have the opportunity to have their questions asked live to coaches and student-athletes and are encouraged to use the hashtag #FunBelt on social media.
Click here for the Sun Belt Media Day Central.
Periscope users will be able to login and view coaches and student-athletes answering fan-submitted questions in real time. Each guest on Periscope will be available to solely answer questions submitted through the app. The handle for Georgia Southern is GSAthletics. Fans are also encouraged to follow the entire trip on Twitter (@GSAthletics_FB).
Season Tickets
Fans can purchase 2016 season tickets and select their seats online, by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting the ticket office in the Cowart Building adjacent to Paulson Stadium (203 Lanier Drive). Ticket office hours are Monday-Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Season tickets prices start as low as $75 for all five games.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides up-to-date information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics, iOS app Georgia Southern Eagles and Android app Eagles GATA. Fans can purchase tickets to Georgia Southern Athletics events by calling 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting GSEagles.com.
2016 Sun Belt Football Coaches Predicted Order of Finish (first place votes)
1. Appalachian St. (5) - 114 pts
2. Arkansas State (5) - 110 pts
3. Georgia Southern (1) - 98 pts
4. Georgia State - 73 pts
5. Troy - 70 pts
5. UL Lafayette - 70 pts
7. South Alabama - 62 pts
8. Idaho - 48 pts
9. New Mexico St. - 37 pts
10. Texas State - 30 pts
11. UL Monroe - 14 pts
