The Sun Belt must stop burying rivalry games during student breaks and start scheduling like fans matter. After last month's football schedule release... yeah, y'all saw it too... we've lost any shred of confidence that the conference will even attempt to get this right. So, we decided to take a stab at it. It's not perfect, but it's our attempt at a better schedule that values fans and protects rivalries. Our newest conference mate, Louisiana Tech, is built into the schedule and we've excommunicated Texas state.

Introduction

There are few things in college sports that should be sacred. March Madness. Storming the court. The band yelling "you let the whole team down" when the opposing free throw shooter bricks two. And most importantly, rivalry games that actually feel like rivalry games.

Unfortunately, the Sun Belt Conference has spent the last several years scheduling men’s basketball like it was done by someone who has never attended a college basketball game in their life.

We’re not mad. We’re just confused, because nothing screams “rivalry atmosphere” quite like putting the biggest games of the year in a half‑empty arena while students are home eating Christmas leftovers.

Yes, we’re looking directly at you Mr. Conference Scheduler guy.

Old Dominion vs James Madison. That game should be chaos. Instead, it sometimes feels like a mid‑November Wednesday against a Division III school, and it doesn’t have to be this way.

So here at The Monarchists, we did something radical. We built a better schedule. Not because we’re scheduling geniuses, but because we used one revolutionary concept: common sense.

Rule #1: Rivalries Are Not Holiday Decorations

Let’s start with the most obvious fix. Stop scheduling divisional rivalry games during school breaks. This should not be controversial. When students leave campus, they take the atmosphere with them.

A rivalry game without students is like:

  • The Herd without a "We Are Marshall" chant
  • JMU without those dumb purple streamers
  • Monarch Way without PFranks

It just doesn’t work. If the conference needs games during the holiday window, that’s fine.
Just schedule East vs West games only. Let those be the travel games. Let those be the quieter games. But divisional games, the ones that matter most, must happen when students are back on campus. It’s not complicated.

Rule #2: Once Divisional Play Starts, It Should Be Sacred
Once mid‑January arrives, the conference schedule should shift into true divisional play as much as humanly possible. That means: East teams battling East teams, West teams battling West teams and rivalries building toward the stretch run.

But there’s another critical piece. Rival schools should share scheduling rhythms. For example, if one rival has a Saturday home game… the other should too. Why? Because rivalry momentum builds across the conference. Fans follow it. Media follows it. Energy grows. College sports thrive on shared moments. Scheduling should reflect that.

Rule #3: Stop Sending Teams on Season Ending Two‑Week Road Trips
Another scheduling mystery from the conference office. Why do some teams end the season on ridiculously long road stretches?

You know, the time when conference races are decided, tournament seeding is on the lin and fan engagement is highest

That’s when teams should be in their arenas, not sleeping in airport hotels. Balanced home‑away rotation should be standard. No team should disappear onto the road for the final two weeks of the season. That’s not competitive balance; that’s a travel itinerary.

Rule #4: Protect the Games Fans Actually Care About
Let’s be honest, every conference has games that drive attention.

In the Sun Belt, some of those include:

  • Old Dominion vs James Madison
  • Louisiana vs Southern Miss
  • Georgia Southern vs Georgia State
  • Appalachian State vs Marshall
  • Troy vs. South Alabama

These games should be highlight events. Prime student attendance. Packed arenas. Real atmosphere. Instead, too often they’re scheduled like filler. College basketball doesn’t grow by hiding its best matchups. It grows by celebrating them.

The Monarchists Scheduling Model
So, we built a model that does a few simple things:

  1. Protects divisional rivalries
  2. Avoids rivalry games during student breaks
  3. Uses cross‑division games during holidays
  4. Keeps travel balanced
  5. Ensures rivalry schools share similar scheduling windows
  6. Avoids long road trips to end the season

It’s not revolutionary, it’s just logical. And honestly, if you ask us, it feels like something the conference should have been doing all along.

Sun Belt Fans Deserve Better
The Sun Belt Conference has become one of the most competitive leagues in college basketball. Attendance is rising, programs are investing and rivalries are heating up. Now the scheduling needs to catch up. When you schedule rivalry games into empty student sections: you’re not just hurting the atmosphere, you're damaging the product.

Sun Belt Fans: Demand Better
This isn’t just about Old Dominion. Fans from every Sun Belt school should care about this. Better scheduling means louder arenas, bigger rivalries, better TV moments and a stronger conference identity.

So, here’s our challenge to Sun Belt fans everywhere:

Look at our scheduling model below. Share it. Debate it. Improve it. But most importantly, demand better rivalry scheduling from the conference office, because the Sun Belt has great rivalries and the potential to turn the basketball into something much better. Now let’s schedule it like we want that.

A Friendly Message to the Conference Office
We say this with love... and a little bit of sarcasm.

If The Monarchists podcast can build a better scheduling model over a Cheapskate Plate, a frosty cold El Monarch, and a few spreadsheets, the conference office can probably do it too.

So, Sun Belt, value rivalries. We promise your fans will thank you and your arenas will sound a lot louder because of it.

Value Rivalries.
Protect Atmosphere.
Schedule Like Fans Matter.