This article is part of our College Football Picks series.
College Football Picks: South Alabama vs. Appalachian State
Get in on the college football action for 2024 with a BetMGM bonus code featuring a Bonus Bet offer of up to $1,500! RotoWire has plenty of college football betting tools and info to keep you in the loop this season. From the latest college football odds to college football futures and Heisman odds, we have you covered.
South Alabama vs. Appalachian State State Betting Odds for Week 4
Spread: South Alabama +7.5 (-115, ESPN Bet); Appalachian State -7 (-115, Caesars Sportsbook)
Total: 62.5 (Over, -110, FanDuel Sportsbook); 63 (Under, -110, DraftKings Sportsbook)
Moneyline: Appalachian State -275 (FanDuel Sportsbook); South Alabama +235 (Caesars Sportsbook)
Be sure to dig into the latest sportsbook promos available at the best online sportsbooks to get the most bang for your buck this college football season. The Caesars Sportsbook promo code gets college football fans a first bet offer worth up to $1,000.
South Alabama vs. Appalachian State Betting Picks for Week 4
The South Alabama Jaguars took out a season's worth of frustration on poor FCS Northwestern State last Thursday, pounding the Demons 87-10. After opening with losses against North Texas at home and Ohio on the road, the Jags re-discovered their offense in record numbers.
The game started with a 62-yard punt return for the Jaguars and a pick-six, too. But QB Gio Lopez tossed up 257 passing yards and four touchdowns, while both Fluff Bothwell and Kentrel Bullock went over 100 rushing yards with two touchdowns apiece. In total, the Jaguars had six rushing scores.
After getting embarrassed at Clemson, 66-20, the Mountaineers of Appalachian State went to the Rowdy Dowdy in Greenville, getting it done 21-19 on the road against East Carolina to cover as a 1-point favorite at most shops. The Under (58) easily cashed, too, as the defense gave a much better effort than the previous week.
Going to Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, N.C., is no easy feat for any team, even one coming off a record offensive performance. It's a tough place to play, year in and year out.
And, let's just get this out of the way first -- it's pronounced App-uh-lash-un, if you want the respect of the locals. If you go with App-uh-lay-shun, they'll know you're a carpetbagger. It's a local thing, and they're REALLY sensitive about it. Pronounce the mountain chain correctly, and talk about "Yosef", the mascot of the Mountaineers, and you're in like Flynn. Yosef is a mountain way of saying "yourself". Many folks like to go with App State, and that's probably the safest play. Ha.
Going back to the Jaguars, we'll toss out the Northwestern State game, because it is an anomaly. We have a better idea of who USA is from the North Texas game at Whitney Hancock Stadium in Mobile. The Mean Green hung 446 passing yards on the Jaguars, and that's a concern. In the Ohio game, USA allowed 200 rushing yards and 204 more yards through the air. In addition, the Jaguars are averaging eight penalties per game, and that's not helping.
For App State, we can toss out the Clemson game, too. The Mountaineers aren't pulling off a Michigan upset this season. They're not a Power 4 team, or close to it, but they're still a strong Sun Belt team. They topped East Carolina in a game which is a much better indicator of who they are as a team.
The Mountaineers allowed a 65-yard touchdown just 31 seconds into the game at ECU, and a pick-six in the final minutes of the first quarter put App State in a 16-0 hole after 10+ minutes. They rebounded nicely with 14 unanswered points in the second quarter to slice into the lead at the break. In the second half, they turned on the defense, limiting the Pirates to just three points in the final three quarters.
One thing to note: QB Joey Aguilar had 424 passing yards, which is bad news for the Jaguars. He also tossed a pair of INTs, including the pick-six, while the Mountaineers had three turnovers and a minus-1 turnover ratio. App State's passing ability, South Alabama's struggles to stop the pass and the location of the contest will be the difference.
If you can catch seven and a hook, you should be quite pleased. USA has another offensive firepower to hang on the road, although I am not expecting an upset win. Still, with nearly a 4-to-1 ratio of the money and bets on the home side, it's usually a wise move to go against the public, too.
South Alabama vs. Appalachian State Expert Pick: South Alabama +7.5 (ESPN Bet)
Get in on the college football season with an ESPN BET promo code ROTO featuring a $1,000 bonus bet offer!
South Alabama vs. Appalachian State Predictions for Week 4
The Jaguars took advantage of an FCS-level team that left its campus with Hurricane Francine bearing down on the great state of Louisiana last week. While Natchitoches is well inland, it was likely on the mind of all the Demons, and it showed in Mobile. South Alabama took advantage of a team that was mentally checked out. That won't be the case in Boone against the Mountaineers.
South Alabama has cashed high in its two games at home, while the Under cashed in its only previous road game on Sept. 7 at Ohio.
Again, for Appalachian State, we're tossing out the Clemson game, as that was an anomaly against a Power 4 school. The Under cashed in the opener against FCS East Tennessee State and at East Carolina last week, with the defense allowing just 14.5 points.
The total is inflated by the books, perhaps because of what Clemson did to App State two weeks ago, and certainly for South Alabama's 87-point outburst, as that's fresh in the minds of everyone. Let's not fool ourselves and pretend this will be a defensive slog, but a 31-24 kind of game still comfortably cashes low, and that's a good bet, along with the South Alabama side play.
