NCAA FOOTBALL: NOV 22 South Alabama at South Carolina

A host of South Alabama defensive plays stop a South Carolina ball carrier in last weekend's 37-12 loss to the SEC's Gamecocks at at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. (Photo by Scott Donaldson)

(Scott Donaldson/Icon SMI)

MOBILE, Alabama -- It's going to be an interesting final week of the regular season in the Sun Belt Conference, especially with a couple of surprise results over the weekend.

South Alabama, the only team in the league that has completed its league schedule, currently sits in fourth place and the best the Jaguars can finish is a tie for third, which is where they finished a year ago.

Based on the outcome of games this week, third place could be a populated neighborhood. It is possible that at the end of the week four teams could be tied for third, all at 5-3 in league play. The Jags are already there. If Appalachian State loses to Idaho, Arkansas State beats New Mexico State and Texas State beats Georgia State, each of the teams finishes at 5-3.

Georgia Southern, 7-0, can win the title outright with a win at home against Louisiana-Monroe. This is the Eagles' first season in the Sun Belt. And while it will finish no worse than tied for first it will not receive a bowl berth because, like Appalachian State, it is in the final year of a two-year transition from Football Championship Subdivision to Football Bowl Subdivision status.

Louisiana-Lafayette lost to Appalachian State over the weekend, dropping the Ragin' Cajuns to 6-1 in league play. They will finish no worse than a tie for second if they lose at Troy on Saturday and Appalachian State, 5-2, wins. If the Cajuns win they finish second alone, unless Georgia Southern loses, whereby they would share first place.

Lafayette (7-4), South Alabama (6-5), Arkansas State (6-5) and Texas State (6-5) are all bowl eligible. Texas State upset Arkansas State over the weekend to gain bowl eligibility a week after losing at South Alabama. Georgia Southern (8-3) and Appalachian State (6-5) would be bowl eligible if not for the transition to FBS. No other Sun Belt teams can reach bowl eligibility.

Georgia State entertains Monroe and is still looking for its first-ever Sun Belt win. It went 0-8 last season and is 0-7 in conference play heading into this week's game. The Panthers are 1-10 for the season, following an 0-12 mark a year ago. Idaho is 1-6 in the league and 1-9 overall.

Idaho will play an 11-game schedule this year because its game at Florida to open the season was cancelled because of inclement weather and not rescheduled. It may be considered a win for the Vandals in one respect: the school received the contracted $975,000 Florida agreed to pay for Idaho's visit to Gainesville for the game.

With only 11 football-playing schools, the Sun Belt does not have a championship game.

Here is this week's schedule of games:

FRIDAY

Navy (5-5) at South Alabama (6-5, 5-3)

SATURDAY

Louisiana-Lafayette (7-4, 6-1) at Troy (3-8, 3-4)

Texas State (6-5, 4-3) at Georgia State (1-10, 0-7)

New Mexico State (2-9, 1-6) at Arkansas State (6-5, 4-3)

Louisiana-Monroe (4-7, 3-4) at Georgia Southern (8-3, 7-0)

Idaho (1-9, 1-6) at Appalachian State (6-5, 5-2)

SUN BELT STANDINGS

Georgia Southern 7-0

Louisiana-Lafayette 6-1

Appalachian State 5-2

South Alabama 5-3

Arkansas State 4-3

Texas State 4-3

Louisiana-Monroe 3-4

Troy 3-4

New Mexico State 1-6

Idaho 1-6

Georgia State 0-7