The number of givens in the Sun Belt Conference continue to dwindle with each week.

For most of the season, the James Madison Dukes were one of the givens, but then they lost two in a row before enjoying a redemption road win at Southern Miss on Thursday.

Perhaps newcomer Louisiana Tech is the only given these days, but that could be tested Saturday with a road game at defending West Division champion Troy. Speaking of the Trojans, it can be difficult to figure them out as well. After losing 22-6 in Lafayette and losing at home to ULM, Troy won at James Madison last week.

The Trojans are hoping to do a four-way logjam for second place in the West race some favors with an upset of the Bulldogs on Saturday.

The other issue that hasn't been a given in the Sun Belt of late is starting quarterbacks. Both James Madison and Southern Miss had new starters in the Dukes' 54-23 win Thursday.

Georgia Southern's played multiple quarterbacks because of injury. Troy started veteran backup Tucker Kilcrease last week. Marshall moved away from starter Carlos Del Rio-Wilson for two games and then he teamed with Zion Turner in last week's win over Old Dominion.

If Marshall can come up with a big road win at Georgia Southern on Saturday, the East race will really get confusing.

Old Dominion has played multiple quarterbacks all season and ULM is now back to its starter.

Ironically, UL is one of few teams to play one quarterback all season.

1. Louisiana Tech

Record: 6-2, 4-0.

Last week: Defeated South Alabama, 35-20.

This week: At Troy, 3 p.m., ESPN-Plus.

Extra points: The standings seem to show the Bulldogs are dominating the Sun Belt West. The boxscores show something different. Nope, there's no arguing how good quarterback Blake Baker has been. In last week's win over South Alabama, Baker was 10-of-16 passing for 167 yards and three scores, while also rushing for 81 yards. Other than that, the Jaguars had eight more first downs, 82 more total yards, seven more minutes of possession time and limiting Tech to 2-of-11 on conversion downs. Troy's boxscores haven't been very kind either, so we'll see how this matchup plays out.

2. James Madison

Record: 8-2, 5-2.

This week: Defeated Southern  Miss, 54-23.

Next week: At Connecticut at Nov. 14.

Extra points: After a two-interception game in the Dukes' home loss to Troy, the Dukes reversed the roles of their modified two-quarterback system with the athletic JC Evans taking the lead role over pocket passer Camden Coleman, and it worked. Evans was 19-of-26 passing for 251 yards and a score, in addition to rushing for 47 yards and three touchdowns. Defensively, JMU shut down the surging Southern Miss rushing attack to the tune of 88 yards and also collected four sacks in the redemption win.

3. Georgia Southern

Record: 4-4, 3-1.

Last week: Defeated App State  19-3.

This week: vs. Marshall, 2:30 p.m. ESPN-Plus.

Extra points: Two of the big offseason moves for Georgia Southern came up big in the Eagles' win over App State last week. Transfer quarterback Max Johnson was 35-of-46 for 323 yards while connecting with 13 different targets and new defensive coordinator Mike Mutz continued to shine. The Eagles limited App State to three points and six rushing yards. Because of that defense, Georgia Southern was able to settle for field goals and Bryant Tripp made all four of his attempts to help mightily in the low-scoring affair. The Eagles' overall record is still at .500, but they're the hot team right now in the East.

4. Appalachian State

Record: 5-3, 2-2.

Last week: Lost to Georgia Southern, 19-3.

This week: vs. Georgia State, 1:30 p.m., ESPN-Plus.

Extra points: Perhaps the Old Dominion loss in the rain wasn't as fluky as we thought. Just when it looked like the Mountaineers were flexing, they went to Statesboro and scored three points. App State only had 12 first downs and six yards rushing in the loss to Georgia Southern. The Mountaineers suffered three turnovers and their defense gave up 432 total yards. Also, Georgia Southern now owns the tiebreaker. The Sun Belt season has been filled with ups and downs. App State's road might by the craziest of all. App and UL have the same records, but the Mountaineers theoretically have the better win by beating James Madison at home.

5. Louisiana

Record: 5-3, 2-2.

Last week: Lost at Southern Miss, 35-31.

This week: vs. South Alabama, 4 p.m., ESPN-Plus.

Extra points: On one hand, the Cajuns are getting pretty hard to figure out. On the other, the answers may come if senior safety Collin Jacob can return from his broken arm. If that doesn't provide some stability to the defense's recent roller coaster ride, the next four weeks could be more interesting than UL fans were hoping. Essentially, UL is two plays away from being 7-1 and 4-0, but protecting the passer and a consistency in the passing game have been harder to come by in recent weeks. If UL's defense can't go back to stopping the run, the season may spring a leak too big to patch up.

6. Troy

Record: 4-4, 2-2.

Last game: Defeated James Madison, 24-21 (OT).

Next game: vs. Louisiana Tech, 3 p.m., ESPN-Plus.

Extra points: Don't even try to figure out the Trojans. It may not be worth the effort. In the last three weeks, Troy has lost 33-6 in Lafayette, gave ULM its first win in over a calendar year and then won at James Madison. The explanation is the Trojans forced five turnovers, but still had to shut down the Dukes down the stretch to preserve the gutsy win after trailing 21-7 early on. Offensively, Troy was only 4-of-19 on conversion downs, but both teams had 17 first downs. Quarterback Tucker Kilcrease was 15-of-30 with 179 yards and it was enough. We'll see if Troy's defense can find an answer for Louisiana Tech's quarterback, because no one else has.

7. Marshall

Record: 5-3, 2-2.

This week:  Defeated Old Dominion, 36-23.

Next week: At Georgia Southern, 2:30 p.m., ESPN-Plus.

Extra points: Actually, the Thundering Herd are par for the course in the Sun Belt this year - very difficult to know if they're coming or going. Marshall theoretically kept its very slim title game hopes alive with a win over Old Dominion. The Herd led 27-10 at the half, thanks to your every day 100-yard missed field goal return for a touchdown. Both quarterbacks - Carolos Del Rio-Wilson and Zion Turner - played, but the numbers weren't pretty. ODU actually outgained the Herd 409-338 behind 329 yards passing. Marshall can add to the chaos with a road win over Georgia Southern.

8. South Alabama

Record: 4-4, 2-2.

This week: Lost to Louisiana Tech, 35-20.

Next week: At Louisiana, 4 p.m., ESPN-Plus.

Extra points: After a poor offensive performance at Marshall, the Jaguars' offensive actually played quite well against first-place Louisiana Tech. Jared Hollins threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns and wide receiver Anthony Eager caught seven passes for 102 yards and those two scores. Meanwhile, the defense limited the Bulldogs to 315 total yards and only two conversions in 11 tries. Like so many Sun Belt teams this weekend, this is a critical swing game for the Jags.

9. Arkansas State

Record: 4-4, 2-2.

Last week: Open date.

This week: vs. ULM, 2 p.m., ESPN-Plus.

Extra points: Like so many teams, it's hard to figure out what to expect from the Red Wolves the rest of the way. After losing their first two league games, the Red Wolves are now just one home win away from being over .500 in Sun Belt play. The passing game has been awfully productive. That could mean a good matchup against the Warhawks, whose defense is ranked No. 12 in the league in pass defense.

10. Coastal Carolina

Record: 3-5, 2-2.

Last week: Defeated Georgia State, 31-20.

This week: vs. Old Dominion, Noon, ESPN-Plus.

Extra points: The Chanticleers are one of many teams with renewed hope after a rough start in league play after the contenders have slipped in recent weeks. Even better for Coastal is a struggling Monarchs squad is coming to town. Quarterback Deuce Bailey was very productive in beating the Panthers, completing 23 of 33 passes for 307 yards and three touchdowns. He had a red-hot receiver as well with Chayton Coppock catching 10 passes for 110 yards and two scores. If Georgia Southern losses again anytime soon, chaos will ensue in the East Division race, but the Chants must win to be in position to join the fun.

11. Southern Miss

Record: 3-6, 2-2.

Last week: Defeated ULM, 35-21.

This week: Lost to James Madison, 54-23.

Extra points: The Golden Eagles took a 14-13 lead with a Steven Robinson 2-yard TD run with 37 seconds left before halftime. But the Dukes got a 40-yard field goal on the last play of the first half and then scored on the other side of intermission and the rout was on. Southern Miss had a new quarterback on John White, who threw it batter at 22-of-35 for 266 yards, but the running game wasn't there this week. Receivers Kaden Saunders (6 catches, 122 yards) and Mario Sanders (6-98) both had good games, but James Madison owned the line of scrimmage in the second half.

12. Georgia State

Record: 4-4, 1-3.

Last week: Lost at Coastal Carolina, 31-20.

This week: At Appalachian State, 1:30 p.m., ESPN-Plus.

Extra points: The fascination with a potential Georgia State Cinderella story is now effectively over. The Panthers had to play last week without starting quarterback Cameran Brown and it wasn't pretty. The Chanticleers led 31-6 in the third quarter. Backup Ayden Perieira competed at 20-of-37 passing for 200 yards with two touchdowns and Georgia State only lost the total yards battle 375-360 while winning time of possession. From now on, the Panthers are just hoping to enjoy as many wins as possible while playing a spoiler.

13. Old Dominion

Record: 2-7, 1-5.

Last week: Lost to Marshall, 36-23.

This week: At Coastal Carolina, Noon, ESPN-Plus.

Extra points: The Monarchs are down to their third quarterback and the truth is Jaxon Potter showed a spark, throwing for 329 yards on 23-of-44 passing with three interceptions in a loss to Marshall. Receiver Josh Rodriguez hauled in nine catches for 143 yards. With only two league games left, the Monarchs are just playing for the future these days. The spoiler role can still be fun, though.

14. ULM

Record: 1-7, 1-3.

Last week: Lost to Southern Miss, 35-21.

This week: At Arkansas State, 2 p.m., ESPN-Plus.

Extra points: The Warhawks ended a 15-game losing streak to Arkansas State with a 28-16 win last season and now hope to build on that. After winning at Troy for its first win of the season, ULM actually outgained Southern Miss 379-359 last week. Quarterback Aidan Armenta threw for 202 yards and two touchdowns in that game. Strangely, eight different players got carries for ULM in the game.

PREDICTION

UL 24, South Alabama 20

This is another scary one for the Cajuns. In the last four years, the road team has won every game. The specific matchup this season may be tricky for the Cajuns as well. South Alabama's defense is third in the Sun Belt against the run and dead last against the pass. Of late, Lunch Winfield has been less efficient, depending more on big plays. He's going to need a huge game. Offensively, the Jaguars have the top rushing offense at 232 yards a game and UL's defense was manhandled on the line of scrimmage by Southern Miss two weeks ago. Coach Michael Desormeaux said South Alabama has the Sun Belt offensive line he's seen so far, so UL's defense has its hands full.