An 0-0 record breeds optimism. Players and coaches always find a way to be hopeful throughout the preseason, no matter how the previous year ended.
The same can't necessarily be said for a 0-0 conference record -- at least for a team coming off back-to-back losses.
But Arkansas State is trying to put a positive spin on things as the Red Wolves begin their Sun Belt Conference slate.
ASU kicks things off with a trip to Norfolk, Va., tonight for a game against new Sun Belt foe Old Dominion at S.B. Ballard Stadium. The Monarchs joined Conference USA after moving up to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2013, yet finished among the top two in the league's East Division only twice.
"The games before kind of brought us together," Old Dominion running back Johnnie Lang said this week. "We found a couple of pieces that weren't there for us as a team, and we're excited to go into conference play and play opponents that are going to give us a chance to win a championship."
As much as the Red Wolves will face the challenge of going on the road for a third straight game, they are beginning a relatively soft stretch of their schedule -- three of ASU's next four opponents in Old Dominion, Louisiana-Monroe and Southern Mississippi are all among the bottom third of ESPN's SP+ rankings.
The other game in that stretch, an Oct. 8 home contest, is against James Madison, which is in its first season at the FBS level.
None of them are gimmes, especially when ASU has gone 3-13 in Sun Belt games over the past two seasons.
"It's a great opportunity to take what we've been able to learn in these last couple weeks ... about needing to be able to finish towards the end of games whenever you have a team out there on the ropes," ASU defensive tackle T.W. Ayers said. "We have to do better at using this kind of fresh start into conference play as a great time to start getting those things figured out."
While the Monarchs have a couple of preseason All-Sun Belt honorees on offense in wide receiver Ali Jennings and tight end Zack Kuntz, Old Dominion is a defense-oriented team.
In a Week 1 upset of Virginia Tech, the Monarchs gave up 17 points, and they allowed just 16 to Virginia last week, losing despite keeping the Cavaliers out of the end zone over the final 48 minutes.
As Red Wolves Coach Butch Jones put it earlier this week, "They make you earn everything you get."
The Monarchs closed the 2021 regular season with five straight wins, holding their opponents to less than 25 four times.
"Their players have bought into the scheme," Jones said. "They're good tackles, they play with good effort and I think they use their hands exceptionally well.
"There's a lot that goes into it. They're very disruptive, and again, they make ... an offense beat them down in and down out."
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NoneToday’s game
Arkansas State at Old Dominion
WHEN 5 p.m. Central
WHERE S.B. Ballard Stadium, Norfolk, Va.
RECORDS ASU 1-2, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference; Old Dominion 1-2, 0-0
TV None
STREAMING ESPN-Plus
RADIO KFIN-FM, 107.9, in Jonesboro; KHLR-FM, 106.7, in Little Rock
COACHES Butch Jones (3-12 in second season at ASU and 87-66 in 13th season overall); Ricky Rahne (7-9 in third season at Old Dominion and overall)
SERIES First meeting
NOTEWORTHY Old Dominion is a 51/2-point favorite. … The Monarchs will be playing their first conference game as a Sun Belt member after being a part of Conference USA since 2014. … ASU’s 91 Sun Belt victories rank second all-time, trailing only Louisiana-Lafayette’s 95. … The Red Wolves have not played in the state of Virginia since 2011, the most recent of four trips to Virginia Tech. … Old Dominion’s 18.3 points per game rank 115th of 131 Football Bowl Subdivision teams.
Arkansas State Coach Butch Jones (right) talks with cornerback Kenneth Harris during a timeout last Saturday at Memphis. The Red Wolves open Sun Belt Conference play today at Old Dominion. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Thomas Metthe)