NEW ORLEANS – Nine opponents that finished the 2018 campaign with a .500 or better record. Seven that participated in a postseason bowl game, including four winners of those contests. Two conference champions along with two other league title game qualifiers. And a match-up with a Big Ten program that won four of its last six outings a year ago.
Those are the challenges in front of University of South Alabama football team after the announcement Friday of the program's 2019 schedule by the Sun Belt Conference office.
"It's a very challenging schedule with a lot of good football teams on there, but that's life in the Sun Belt.