Two Sun Belt East hopefuls with very different problems to solve collide when Georgia Southern visits Old Dominion — one team replacing its quarterback, the other replacing basically everyone else.
Bush’s Picks
GASOODU
GASOODU
OverUnder
Best BetOld Dominion
Old Dominion's defense returns largely intact after finishing top-two in the Sun Belt in both sacks and takeaways, and the league office backed that continuity by slotting the Monarchs second in the East to Georgia Southern's fourth. Georgia Southern's portal quarterback still has to prove he can run a Sun Belt offense from scratch. Back Old Dominion here.
Georgia Southern
+Portal QB Max Johnson brings starting experience
+Won 4 of last 5 to close 2025, bowl win
+Dallas, Gamble return healthy after missing most of 2025
−Picked only 4th in Sun Belt East
−Defense ranked among FBS's worst last season
−RB room thin after OJ Arnold's departure
Old Dominion
+Went 10-3 in 2025, capped by 6-game win streak
+Defense tied Sun Belt lead in sacks, 2nd in takeaways
+Picked 2nd in Sun Belt East by media and coaches
−Lost starting QB Colton Joseph to Wisconsin in portal
−Integrating 54 new players and a new OC
−Lost top pass rushers Mack Jr. and Trinidad off defense
Georgia Southern heads into Statesboro's road trip with a fresh face under center. Max Johnson, a transfer portal addition, is set to run the Eagles' offense after the program leaned hard into the portal this offseason. He's stepping into a group that still has to answer questions at running back following OJ Arnold's departure, with head coach Clay Helton pointing to Terrance Gibbs as the presumptive lead back.
Old Dominion's issue runs the other direction. The Monarchs won 10 games and closed 2025 on a six-game streak that ended with a Cure Bowl win over South Florida, but their starting quarterback, Colton Joseph, left for Wisconsin in the portal. Coach Ricky Rahne has had to plug in 54 new players this offseason, including a new offensive coordinator in Kody Cook, which makes this an Old Dominion team still figuring out its own identity.
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GASO Georgia Southern
ODU Old Dominion
What ODU didn't lose much of is its defense, which tied for the Sun Belt lead in sacks and finished second in the league in takeaways a year ago. That's the backbone the Monarchs are leaning on while the offense gets rebuilt, and it's a big reason the league picked them second in the East — one spot ahead of where they finished a year ago.
Georgia Southern Eagles
Oct 9?vs James Madison—
Oct 2?@ Coastal Carolina—
Sep 25?vs Houston—
Sep 19?@ Jacksonville State—
Sep 12?@ Clemson—
Sep 5?vs Charleston Southern—
Old Dominion Monarchs
Oct 9?@ App State—
Oct 2?@ Georgia State—
Sep 25?vs James Madison—
Sep 19?vs East Carolina—
Sep 12?@ Virginia Tech—
Sep 5?vs Norfolk State—
Recent form.
Georgia Southern, by contrast, was tabbed fourth in the East despite closing last season on a four-of-five run that included a bowl win over App State. The Eagles bring back two names worth watching in receiver Josh Dallas and defensive back Chance Gamble, both of whom missed most of 2025 with injuries and are back healthy. Given that Georgia Southern's defense ranked among the worst in the country last season, new coordinator Mike Mutz has a real project on his hands — and Helton says the roster is heading into camp about as healthy as it's been in years.
Georgia Southern Eagles
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Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Old Dominion Monarchs
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Neither team looks like a finished product this deep before kickoff, which is exactly what makes a Sun Belt East measuring-stick game like this one interesting. Old Dominion has the proven defense and the higher preseason ceiling; Georgia Southern has the portal quarterback and a group of skill guys getting healthy at the right time. How fast each side's new pieces gel by mid-October will decide who's actually playing meaningful football in November.
