Start with two of the best recent Group of 5 college football programs (Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina), plus a rising Georgia State. From Conference USA, add a borderline top-50 program (Marshall) and a high-potential young program in a fertile recruiting area (Old Dominion). Throw in the second-best program in FCS (James Madison). What do you get? The best division in the G5 ranks: the Sun Belt East.
If the SEC was the biggest winner of this recent round of conference realignment, the Sun Belt came in second.