Among Saturday’s college football championship games is a battle for Sun Belt Conference supremacy between Appalachian State and Louisiana. This marks the first time since 2019 that the Sun Belt Championship will be contested after last year’s game was canceled. Both teams won double-digit games during the regular season and lost only one conference game combined. While much of the attention on Saturday afternoon will be centered around the high-profile SEC Championship, don’t sleep on what could be a great game in the “Fun Belt”. The college football betting odds favor the visitors ahead of this Appalachian State vs Louisiana showdown.
The following Appalachian State vs Louisiana college football betting preview will give you the current odds, betting trends and picks for Saturday afternoon’s Sun Belt Championship Game matchup.
Appalachian State vs Louisiana College Football Betting Preview
2021 Sun Belt Conference Championship Game
Appalachian State Mountaineers (10-2, 7-1 Sun Belt) vs. Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (11-1, 8-0 Sun Belt)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 4, 2021
Time: 3:30 p.m. EST
Venue: Cajun Field — Lafayette, LA
Coverage: ESPN
Appalachian State Mountaineers Preview
No matter what the Appalachian State football program loses in terms of graduating players or coaches jumping up to Power 5 gigs, the Mountaineers continue to be in the mix annually in Sun Belt. Since making the transition to FBS in 2014, App State has been one of the best teams annually. The Sun Belt Championship Game was not installed until 2018, and the Mountaineers have participated in every game that has been played. This year’s college football betting matchup against Louisiana marks the third time in the last four years that the two teams have played for the conference title. The Mountaineers won in both 2018 and ‘19.
While App State has had Louisiana’s number in the conference title game, the Mountaineers’ suffered their only conference loss on the season to the Ragin’ Cajuns in blowout fashion. Shawn Clark’s team closed the regular season on a six-game winning streak in the conference. Getting back up off the mat following the loss to Louisiana and beating Coastal Carolina the following week was a major accomplishment. Quarterback Chase Brice leads a Mountaineers offense that ranked second in the Sun Belt in both yards (439.9) and scoring (35.8) this season.
Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Preview
After having last year’s Sun Belt Championship Game canceled due to a “deadly” virus, coach Billy Napier made the decision to return to Lafayette for another year. It was clear from the onset that the Ragin’ Cajuns were set up for success this season. Napier and dual-threat quarterback Levi Lewis led Louisiana to a perfect college football betting record in conference play this season. Louisiana won 11 wins on the year overall. The Cajuns’ defense was also stellar, allowing a Sun Belt-best 18.5 points per game. Louisiana’s only loss during the regular season came to a Power 5 opponent in Texas.
Along with the blowout win over Appalachian State, Louisiana survived close games against South Alabama, Georgia State, Arkansas State and Lousiana-Monroe on their way to an unbeaten conference regular season. The Ragin’ Cajuns also thoroughly dominated a quality nonconference opponent in Liberty just two weeks ago. Some college football betting analysts have been concerned leading up to the Sun Belt Championship about the fact that Napier has already been announced as the next head coach of the Florida Gators. Those close to the team seem to indicate that the current group of players is not phased by Napier’s future career move.
Appalachian State vs Lousiana Odds and Spread
College football betting odds for Appalachian State vs Louisiana are taken from BetMGM Sportsbook.
Moneyline: APP: (-135) | LOU: (+110)
Spread: APP: -2.5 (-110) | LOU: +2.5 (-110)
Total: 52.5 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
Public (Spread) Betting via Action Network: APP: (41%) | LOU: (59%)
Appalachian State vs Louisiana College Football Betting Trends
- Mountaineers went 8-4 ATS and 5-7 to the over this season.
- Ragin’ Cajuns went 5-7 ATS and 3-9 to the over this season.
- Mountaineers are just 2-10-1 ATS in their last 15 games when on a winning streak of five games or more.
- Spanning the last two seasons, the Ragin’ Cajuns have seen all five of their home games against AP Top 25 opponents go under the total.
- College football betting underdogs are 5-1 ATS in the last six Mountaineers vs Ragin’ Cajuns head-to-head matchups.
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Appalachian State vs Louisiana Stats
- Appalachian State is averaging 35.8 points per game (PPG) this season (No. 2 in the Sun Belt).
- Appalachian State is surrendering 18.9 PPG this season (No. 2 in the Sun Belt).
- Louisiana is averaging 31.3 PPG this season (No. 3 in the Pac-12).
- Louisiana is surrendering 18.5 PPG this season (No. 1 in the Sun Belt).
Appalachian State vs Louisiana Prediction
This Appalachian State vs Louisiana college football betting prediction uses the ESPN Football Power Index (FPI). It gives Appalachian State a 59.2% chance to win the Sun Belt Championship Game.
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