NCAA Football: Sun Belt Conference Holds Media Days, Announces Pre-seaon Poll and All-conference Team

The Sun Belt Conference kicked off its annual two-day football media event in New Orleans Monday. The Media Days event gives media the opportunity to meet with coaches and players from each of the leagues eight football playing institutions in advance of the coming football season.

Troy the clear favorite for second consecutive SBC championship according to the coaches Pre-Season Poll

The conference office started the event by releasing the pre-season football poll which is voted on by the eight head coaches in the league. Troy, last seasons New Orleans Bowl champion, was chosen to win the conference and was awarded five first place votes.

Behind Troy was Middle Tennesse, last years runner-up in Detroit's Motor City Bowl, and 2005 league champion Arkansas State. Middle Tennessee and Arkansas State were separated by a single point, but Arkansas State had one first place vote.

Tied at forth place in the poll were the conference's Louisiana schools, UL-Lafayette and UL-Monroe. UL-Monroe had one first place vote.

Florida Atlantic, North Texas, and Florida International rounded out the poll. Florida Atlantic had one first place vote.

1. Troy, 59 points (5 first place votes)
2. Middle Tennessee, 44
3. Arkansas State, 43 (1)
4. Louisiana-Lafayette, 37 - tied
4. Louisiana-Monroe, 37 (1) - tied
6. Florida Atlantic, 36 (1)
7. North Texas, 22
8. Florida International, 10

Louisiana-Monroe and Middle Tennessee State lead all teams in number of players on Pre-Season All-Conference Team

The conference pre-season team for 2007 was also released at the event. The teams with the most players represented on the all-conference squad were UL-Monroe and Middle Tennessee. Of the five UL-Monroe players selected to the all-conference team, all of them were on offense.

North Texas had four players achieve pre-season all-conference honors while league favorite Troy, Arkansas State, and UL-Lafayette each had three players selected.

Of the Florida schools, Florida Atlantic placed two members on the team and Florida International had none.

Omar Haugabook, Troy's versatile and strong quarterback, took home the pre-season offensive player of the year honor while Arkansas State safety Tyrell Johnson took home pre-season defensive player of the year.

Number of players on pre-season team by school (offense, defense, special teams):
ULM: 5 (5,0,0)
MTSU: 5 (1,3,1)
UNT: 4 (0,3,1)
Troy: 3 (2,1,0)
ASU: 3 (1,2,0)
ULL: 3 (2,0,1)
FAU: 2 (0,2,0)
FIU: 0 (0,0,0)

All-Conference Team Offense
QB: Omar Haugabook (Troy)
RB: Tyrell Fenroy (Louisiana-Lafayette)
RB: Calvin Dawson (Louisiana-Monroe)
WR: LaGregory Sapp (Louisiana-Monroe)
WR: Gary Banks (Troy)
TE: Zeek Zacharie (Louisiana-Monroe)
OL: Matt Mandich (Arkansas State)
OL: Jesse Newman (Louisiana-Lafayette)
OL: Kyle Cunningham (Louisiana-Monroe)
OL: Adam Hill (Louisiana-Monroe)
OL: Franklin Dunbar (Middle Tennessee)

All-Conference Team Defense
DL: Josh Pinnick (Florida Atlantic)
DL: Tavares Jones (Middle Tennessee)
DL: Erik Walden (Middle Tennessee)
DL: Jeremiah Chapman (North Texas)
LB: Koby McKinnon (Arkansas State)
LB: Cergile Sincere (Florida Atlantic)
LB: Maurice Holman (North Texas)
DB: Tyrell Johnson (Arkansas State)
DB: Damon Nickson (Middle Tennessee)
DB: Aaron Weathers (North Texas)
DB: Leodis McKelvin (Troy)

All-Conference Team Special Teams
P: Truman Spencer (North Texas)
PK: Drew Edmiston (Louisiana-Lafayette)
RS: Damon Nickson (Middle Tennessee)

Sun Belt teams to take national stage for a record number of times in 2007

The Sun Belt's television package, which was released today at the media days event, includes a record four prime time nationally televised games on ESPN2. The games selected include Tulsa at UL-Monroe, Middle Tennessee at Louisville, Oklahoma State at Troy, and Middle Tennessee at Troy. The planned broadcast of Tulsa at UL-Monroe will be ESPN's first football telecast for the 2007 season.

In addition to these nationally televised games, one Sun Belt team will represent the league in the New Orleans Bowl which will be televised on ESPN2.

In addition to the exposure on ESPN2, the conference will have one game televised by the new Big 10 Network, one by Fox Sports Net, one game on ESPNU, one on the CSTV network, two games on the ESPN360 broadband network, eight games on the ESPN+ network, and nine games on the regional Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast network.

Sun Belt Media Days will conclude tomorrow in New Orleans and will include a keynote address by ESPN analyst Bill Curry.