College Football Betting: Appalachian State at Louisiana Lafayette
Appalachian State is in just their third year as a FBS team but few teams have moved up from FCS as competitively as the Mountaineers. Anyone who paid attention to the App State program during their time in 1-AA/FCS isn’t surprised. The Mountaineers were a legit powerhouse at the FCS level during the tenure of head coach Jerry Moore (1989–2012) and even more impressively maintained a consistent level of excellence for the past 25 years. The Mountaineers won three FCS National Championships and have had only one losing season since 1993 (and their 4-8 record in 2013 had more to do with a rash of injuries than any decline in the program). It’s hard to argue with a 20-9 SU record since moving up to FBS play. They’re already one of the top contenders for the Sun Belt Title and take a 3-2 SU record into this game with their only losses coming against Tennessee and Miami.
The Mountaineers should be rested having last played on October 1 against 1-4 SU Georgia State. They’ll have another ten days off before their next game on 10/22 at home against Idaho. The Ragin’ Cajuns are 6-11 SU since the start of the 2015 season though they have been a decent team against the spread. LA-Lafayette lost 28-7 to the Mountaineers in Boone, NC last year but covered as a +22.5 underdog. In 2014, Appalachian State ripped the Cajuns 35-16 as a +9 underdog. If anything, the talent disparity between the teams might be bigger than last season. Louisiana Lafayette has lost at home to Boise State and on the road against Tulane and New Mexico State. That’s not the same competitive level as the Mountaineers who came close to upsetting the Tennessee Vols in Knoxville in their opening game.
App State is 9-5 ATS on the road over the last three years and 6-1 SU/5-2 ATS as a road favorite in that time frame. The Mountaineers are a fundamentally sound team to be sure but they don’t score a ton of points. The Ragin’ Cajuns have also been off for eleven days which should benefit their defense off of back to back overtime road games. Nothing but respect for the Appalachian State program but can’t trust them here as double digit chalk against a gutsy opponent.
BET UL-LAFAYETTE +10 OVER APPALACHIAN STATE
