College football betting kicks off this week with a Sun Belt battle as the Appalachian State Mountaineers play their first conference game when they host the Arkansas State Red Wolves.
The Mountaineers begin their quest for a fifth consecutive Sun Belt crown, but might be a little rusty after not having played since September 26. While the Red Wolves are coming off a shootout victory of Georgia Southern last week.
Let’s take a look at our best college football predictions for Arkansas State at Appalachian State, scheduled for Thursday, October 22 at 7:30 ET.
Arkansas State Red Wolves vs Appalachian State Mountaineers betting preview
Weather
It should be a nice night for football in North Carolina. The forecast is calling for partly cloudy skies with temperatures hovering around the 60-mark for kickoff with minimal wind. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Key Injuries
Arkansas State: Marcel Murray RB (Questionable), Caleb Bonner LB (Questionable), Antonio Fletcher DB (Questionable).
Appalachian State: Christian Wells WR (Questionable), Jalen Virgil WR (Questionable), Malik Williams WR (Questionable), Zac Crosby TE (Questionable), Mike Evans TE (Questionable), Marcus Williams Jr. (Questionable), Henry Pearson TE (Questionable).
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
Appalachian State hasn’t played since a 52-21 win over FCS Campbell on September 26, after a COVD outbreak hit the university, but the team returned to practice on Wednesday, October 14.
The Mountaineers are 2-1 this season, with the lone loss a 17-7 defeat at the hands of the Marshall Thundering Herd, where they were 6-point favorites. In fact, backing App State has been costly to bettors this year as the Mountaineers are 0-3 ATS.
Meanwhile, Arkansas State outlasted Georgia State 59-52 for the Red Wolves’ third win of the season, covering the 3.5-point chalk. It was the fourth time in five games Arkansas State covered the spread.
It’s hard to know what to expect out of the Mountaineers after being off for so long, and they lost their only real test of the year against the Herd. Now, they’ll have to jump right in against a Red Wolves team that's throwing the ball all over the yard, scoring 38.2 points per game.
Appalachian State will have one of the better defenses that Arkansas State will have faced this season, but QB Logan Bonner is a senior completing 76 percent of his passes for 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. He also has some strong support in the run game.
It just feels like asking the Mounatineers to cover 10.5 points in this spot is asking a lot.
PREDICTION: Arkansas State +10.5 (-110)
Over/Under pick
While Arkansas State may be humming on offense, the defense should provide Appalachian State with a nice, easy transition in returning to play. The Red Wolves’ defense is, um, porous, to put it nicely.
Arkansas State ranks 67th In the country in total yards allowed (76 teams have played to this point), and 70th in points per game allowed at 39.8 per contest. App State will attack that defense first and foremost with its running game.
The Mountaineers rumble for an average of 269.3 rushing yards per game, which is fifth-best in the country, and the Red Wolves are coming off a game where they allowed 269 yards on the ground to Georgia State.
And as good as the Appalachian State defense can be, I’m not sure they can hold down Bonner and his multitude of weapons all game. This one should sneak above the number.
PREDICTION: Over 63.5 (-110)
Team to Score First Prop Pick
Arkansas State has been starting games this season with a bang. The Red Wolves rank third in the country when it comes to first-quarter scoring at 12.2 points per contest.
Meanwhile, Appalachian State has scored just one first-quarter touchdown against its two FBS opponents this season and are certainly going to have to knock off some rust after not playing in nearly a month. Even though they’re underdogs on the road, the Red Wolves are providing some really good value to open the scoring in this one.
PREDICTION: Team to score first: Arkansas State (+125)
Arkansas State vs Appalachian State betting card
- Arkansas State +10.5 (-110)
- Over 63.5 (-110)
- Team to score first: Arkansas State (+125)
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