By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The college football season is approaching fast. The major programs in the state are normally talked about consistently like Georgia, Georgia Tech or Georgia Southern. Georgia State often flies under the radar. We’re going to take a look at the Panthers and see what they will do in 2018.

This is a pretty new program considering they started playing in 2010. They only spent two seasons at the FCS level before moving up to Division 1 or the FBS level. They are a member of the Sun Belt Conference which is competitive.

They also used to play in the Georgia Dome, which used to look empty during games. Last season they converted Turner Field into Georgia State Stadium. Attendance not only improved by 5 percent in the first year (despite the home-opener loss to Tennessee State), but with a capacity of 24,333, the stadium actually fit the fan base.

Last season was the first year for head coach Shawn Elliott. It started off poorly with a season opening loss then a 56-0 drubbing by Penn State. Then they ripped off 6 wins in 7 games and won the first bowl game in program history. They won the Cure Bowl 27-17 over Western Kentucky and finished the year 7-5.

That momentum has carried over into recruiting because Elliott’s first full-year recruiting class ranked third in the Sun Belt and averaged a three-star rating. His staff is full of hungry young assistants like 33-year old offensive coordinator Travis Trickett and 37-year old defensive coordinator Nate Fuqua.

GSU may take a step backwards in 2018. The run game was maybe the worst in FBS last year and isn’t guaranteed to improve much. The defense returns several playmakers and the receiving corps is exciting.

Quarterback Connor Manning played well last season, completing 64% of his passes. He graduated so junior Aaron Winchester will likely be the starter. Winchester nearly saved GSU against Tennessee State in the opener, leading a fourth-quarter scoring drive before throwing a pick in the final minute. Winchester has mobility (not including sacks, he carried 17 times for 101 yards last year).

Penny Hart was the leading receiver with 74 catches, 1,121 yards and 8 touchdowns. I expect him to be just as explosive this season. GSU adds two SEC transfers, 6’4 South Carolina receiver Christian Owens and 6’3 Florida tight end Camrin Knight.

There’s minimal guarantee that the run game will improve, though it can’t get worse. The line does return four starters and seven players with starting experience.

The defense was able to stop the run, ranking 41st nationally in run defense. Fuqua gets four of his top five linemen and five of seven linebackers back in 2018. The secondary is the weakest position group and they ranked 110th in passing defense. They also allowed a 63% completion rate with a 23-10 TD-to-INT ratio.

The schedule is tough; they open against Kennesaw State who is ranked No.3 in the FCS preseason poll. I think the Owls will pull off the upset and beat GSU.

The schedule features road trips to NC State, Memphis, and all three of last year’s Sun Belt heavyweights (Arkansas State, Appalachian State, Troy), which means there will be almost no margin for error.

The best chances to win are against Louisiana-Monroe, Texas State, Western Michigan, Coastal Carolina and Louisiana-Lafayette. I think the Panthers will win 5 games in 2018.