APP
USATwo Sun Belt programs coming off losing seasons meet to close out the year, and neither one looks anything like the roster that finished 2025.
Bush’s Picks
USAUSASouth AlabamaSouth Alabama gets the nod here mostly on the strength of Bishop Davenport being a known commodity at quarterback while App State is still figuring out who's taking snaps in year 2 of the Loggains rebuild. Home field for a regular-season finale matters too when one side is breaking in that much new personnel.
App StateSouth AlabamaSouth Alabama brings back Bishop Davenport under center, which sounds like a small thing until you look around the rest of the Sun Belt and realize how many teams are starting over at quarterback. App State is one of them. AJ Swann, who threw for 1,495 yards and 10 touchdowns in 7 games last year, is gone, and Dowell Loggains is heading into year 2 with an almost entirely new QB room.
The roster math tells the story of where each program stands. App State lost 39 players to the portal and answered with 66 newcomers, including 35 transfer additions and a signing class that 247Sports rated the best in program and Sun Belt history. South Alabama went the other direction — 27 players out, only 11 transfers in — leaning on returnees and 9 junior-college additions to replace what left.
This game closes out the regular season on a Friday afternoon in Mobile, a spot the Sun Belt shifted specifically to get eyes on it. For two teams picking up the pieces from 4-8 and 5-8 seasons, it's as much about finishing the year on the right note as it is about the standings.
