Quietly, the Sun Belt has become one of the best Group of Five conferences in college football, and that will be on full display when the Appalachian State Mountaineers visit the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.
App State has appeared in every Sun Belt title game since it began in 2018 but with a 2-2 conference record, the Mountaineers can’t afford another loss. Meanwhile, Coastal Carolina bounced back after its first loss of the season by upsetting Marshall last week and improving its record to 7-1.
The Mountaineers have certainly had the tougher schedule to this point, but is laying 3-points on the road against a conference rival giving them too much respect? I dig through the numbers and find the best bet in my college football betting picks and predictions Appalachian State vs. Coastal Carolina.
App State vs Coastal Carolina best odds
App State vs Coastal Carolina picks and predictions
Appalachian State had about as tough of a schedule that a Sun Belt team could have to start the season and made out pretty well.
The Mountaineers lost a shootout to ACC contender UNC to open the season and followed that up with a huge upset of Texas A&M at College Station in a game where they were 18-point underdogs.
But despite the strong start, App State has stumbled a bit in conference play. A loss to upstart James Madison is nothing to be ashamed of, but dropping a game to Texas State where the Mountaineers were 19-point chalk and trailed 30-3 at one point ain’t great.
App State will try to lean on its running game led by its three-headed monster of Camerun Peoples, Nate Noel, and Daetrich Harrington. The team averages 209 yards per game which ranks 20th in the nation, and it just saw Old Dominion put up 324 yards on Coastal Carolina a few weeks ago.
But you know the Chanticleers are geared up to take down the Mountaineers, and the defense bounced back in a big way last week. Coastal Carolina is 7-1 and coming off a game where it held Marshall, a team that ranks 30th in rushing yards per game, to just 87 yards on less than three yards per carry.
Plus, the Chanticleers still have quarterback Grayson McCall leading the offense. McCall has thrown for 2,061 yards while completing 68.8% of his passes with 19 touchdowns to just one interception — helping Coastal rank 20th in the country in yards per play when facing FBS opponents.
And even though the Mountaineers have some solid numbers on defense, you can make the case that the only two good offenses they have gone up against this season are UNC and JMU.
These Sun Belt foes have played very intense and close games each of the last two seasons, so getting a field goal at home with a solid Coastal team is too much to pass up in this spot.
My best bet: Coastal Carolina +3 (-110 at bet365)
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App State vs Coastal Carolina spread analysis
Coastal Carolina opened this Sun Belt matchup as a 1.5-point home underdog but it has been Appalachian State that has seen the early money, and now Coastal Carolina is getting a field goal at home. And I get it.
While both teams have solid offenses, one of the biggest edges appears to be the Mountaineers' ground attack going against a porous Chanticleers’ run defense. But as noted, Coastal looks like it made some adjustments against Marshall.
And despite the flaws, this Chanticleers defense still does a solid job of pressuring opposing quarterbacks. They rank 36th in the country in sack rate when facing FBS opponents and are 10th in the country in takeaways per game.
On top of that, this Coastal team still has its eyes on getting back to the Sun Belt title game. A loss in this one makes it that much more difficult. But a matchup against a rival, at home, in primetime, on national television? That's enough to make me believe the Chanticleers have a legit opportunity to win this game outright.
App State vs Coastal Carolina Over/Under analysis
The total in this matchup opened at 61 and early bettors have jumped on the Over, moving the line up to 63.5. While I don’t have an official play on the total, this number now looks high enough that I would lean toward the Under.
Appalachian State’s defense, while not going up against too much strong competition, has solid numbers. The Mountaineers rank 20th in total yards allowed per game. And now they’ll face a Coastal Carolina offense that has sputtered the last two weeks.
Because of that, look for the Chanticleers to try and establish their run game in this one against an App State run defense that is middle of the pack, ranking 64th in the country in opponent yards per attempt.
And we’ve already established that the Mountaineers could rely on their running game in this matchup as well. That means the clock could be running a lot.
On top of that, these two Sun Belt teams consistently play close, hard-fought games. Each of the last two meetings would have fallen Under this number. I don’t expect that to change this time around in what should be a well-played game in primetime.
App State vs Coastal Carolina betting trend to know
Appalachian State is 2-5 ATS in its last seven games as a favorite. Find more NCAA betting trends for App State vs. Coastal Carolina.
App State vs Coastal Carolina game info
| Location: | Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC |
| Date: | Thursday, November 3, 2022 |
| Kickoff: | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPN |
App State vs Coastal Carolina latest injuries
App State vs Coastal Carolina weather
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