Red Wolves, Owls chief rivals to Troy's crown

This summer, "Sidelines" will be traveling around the Sun Belt Conference to give you a peek at what the competition will be like this season. This week, we have Arkansas State University and Florida Atlantic University.

Arkansas State

Last Year's Record: 6-6 2008 started out with a bang but ended with disappointment for Arkansas State University. The Red Wolves started its season at 4-2, with victories over Texas A&M on the road and MT and University of Louisiana in Monroe at home. The start automatically put Arkansas State in the discussion to contend with Florida Atlantic University and Troy University for the Sun Belt Conference Trophy. But a disastrous finish to their season left them with a 6-6 record, its third in the last four years. Head coach Steve Roberts will be looking to break the glass ceiling this year with several key players returning for their final season with ASU.

Toughest Opponent in 2009: Oct. 31 at University of Louisville At the halfway point of last season, Arkansas State looked like they were well on their way to a winning record and a bowl bid. Instead they lost four of their final six games. Awaiting them at the midseason this year will be a Louisville team that will be seeking to bounce back after a 5-7 season. The result of this game should not determine the rest of the season but an embarrassing loss may send this team to another mediocre season and have fans wondering if this team can ever get over the hump.

Key game in 2009: Nov. 14 at Florida Atlantic University If the Red Wolves want a successful season, then they will need to win late in the season. Playing three of their final four games on the road will be a difficult task. A victory over FAU will certainly build confidence for this team the rest of the way but a loss could sink this team for the rest of the season, and that's with two of the final three games being against the University of North Texas and Western Kentucky University.

Key Players: DE Alex Carrington and RB Reggie Arnold In order for ASU to be successful, they will need both of these players to have lights out seasons. Both players have the potential to win the offensive and defensive conference player of the year awards but they must carry the load for this team. Arnold will be looking to be the eighth player to rush for 1,000 yards in four consecutive seasons. If Carrington has another season like last season, he will rank as one of the top sack artists in ASU history.

FAU

Last year's record: 7-6 (Motor City Bowl Champions) Florida Atlantic University started their year off as if they completely forgot to play football. Now to be fair, they did face then-11th ranked University of Texas, Javon Ringer, who was one of the nation's best running backs at the time, and lost on a Hail Mary pass at MT. FAU did eventually prove that it's not how you start a race but how you finish it. They won six of their final seven games, including an overtime thriller with Florida International University and a Motor City Bowl victory over Central Michigan University. Head coach Howard Schnellenberger will be looking to win their second Sun Belt Conference Championship in three years.

Toughest Opponent in 2009: Sept. 19 at University of South Carolina Early season momentum will be what the Owls need in order to be successful. In order for that to take place, they cannot get embarrassed by a South Carolina team that plays well out of conference at home. With Rusty Smith at quarterback, FAU can defeat anyone as long as his defense allows him to stick to the game plan. This could be an upset.

Key Game in 2009: Nov. 21 at Troy University If the Owls want another SBC Trophy, they will have to defeat Troy. Ideally, FAU would want to come into this game with a maximum of one conference loss. Any more losses than that could mean FAU is just playing spoiler to Troy's title hopes. This game could also determine the winner of the SBC Player of the Year between Smith and Troy LB Boris Lee. However, FAU has to make sure they don't overlook Arkansas State the week before. That can be a trap game.

Key Player: QB Rusty Smith FAU's success will start and stop with Rusty Smith running the show. He is the best offensive pro prospect in the conference and has the skills to be a high round draft pick. Smith cannot afford to have a bad year if he wants a future in football. If Smith has a great year to finish his career then FAU will be in the New Orleans Bowl as the Sun Belt Conference champions.