James Madison finished 158 in NET under a 1st year HC after their roster was decimated by the Portal. That's pretty damn good. Very valid to believe they will take a pretty sizable leap this year. Arkansas State has a new coach this year, so it's very valid to believe they will take a step backwards. I never said name recognition was a factor in the matchup, just that I'm happy with how this matchup came to fruition. The difference between any of the top 5-6 Sun Belt teams at home isn't that big of a deal because of how NET punishes home opponents. The bigger factor in NET is the road matchup in the Sun Belt Challenge and we have a long ways to go before that becomes a relevant discussion.
Quadrant 1: Home 1-30, Neutral 1-50, Away 1-75.
Quadrant 2: Home 31-75, Neutral 51-100, Away 76-135.
Quadrant 3: Home 76-160, Neutral 101-200, Away 135-240.
Quadrant 4: Home 161-353, Neutral 201-353, Away 241-353.
Unless you're playing a team receiving Top 25 votes, you're likely facing a Q3 opponent at best at home. The Sun Belt NET does not matter for this home matchup, so give me the best name recognition possible to hopefully put more butts in seats and open some eyes of the general public with a win vs. a team they've heard of.