Category: Arkansas State

Appalachian State Battles Coastal Carolina In The Sun Belt Bowl

The Old School Marshall duels the Young Gun Chanticleers this Saturday when Coastal Carolina hosts Appalachian State

The Old School Marshall duels the Young Gun Chanticleers this Saturday when Coastal Carolina hosts Appalachian State

Contact @astatefanrules

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At the start of this stupid season, if you had told me that Coastal Carolina would be undefeated and ranked #15 in the nation after 12 weeks of football, I’d have probably said, “Yeah, okay” because Lord Entropy is the Sun Belt’s only master. If you told me Rip Torn would also lead in rushing, I’d have believed it, too.

Yet, the Sun Belt’s Sheriff’s badge still shines on the chest of the Mountaineers, its only blemish a loss to currently undefeated Marshall. Appalachian State may be a bit longer in the tooth than the Chants, but Zack Thomas is still a unit behind center, the defense is as stingy as ever, and the citizens of Boone are plenty surly that anyone would dare question their legitimacy.

Short story shorter, Appalachian State wasn’t letting anyone besmirch the supremacy of the Mountaineers. Respect and fist bumps, App fans.

However, to dismiss the Chanticleers is to make a very big mistake; they are legit good. The Chants shut-out a Georgia State offense that puts up 39 points per game. They’re a member of the Sun Belt’s 2020 Big XII Massacre Squad. They’ve defeated #21 Louisiana in Lafayette. Coastal’s freshman QB, Grayson McCall, has been added to the Maxwell Award watch list.

Coastal Carolina’s proficiency on both sides of the ball reminds me of…Appalachian State.

The Mountaineers are also legit good – and well-rounded. The offense and defense both rank second in the Sun Belt. QB Zac Thomas is having another elite season behind center. And they made Arkansas State look like a division two school in Jonesboro.

Yet, while the Mountaineers have been solid, they haven’t been dominating. Comparing apples, Appalachian State struggled in a 17-13 win at Boone over Georgia State – the same Georgia State that Coastal demolished 51-zero in Atlanta. Sometimes, the Mountaineers’ offense stalls. Coastal always seems to coast.

Appalachian State and Coastal Carolina enjoy an early tee-time in Boone this Saturday on ESPN 2. Whoever wins gets to pin the Sun Belt Sheriff Star on their chests, even if Lord Entropy remains the law of the conference.

A former notary public, Jeremy Harper is a professional writer and Chief Instigator for Storm the Castle Creative. He spends much of his free time staring blankly into space. 

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Sun Belt Predictions, Schedule, Game Previews, Lines, TV: Week 12

Sun Belt college football predictions, schedule, game previews, lines and TV listings for Week 12 of the season.

Sun Belt college football predictions, schedule, game previews, lines and TV listings for Week 12 of the season.

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Results So Far
SU: 41-10, ATS: 24-23, Point Total: 27-20

– Bet on Sun Belt football at BetMGM

Appalachian State at Coastal Carolina

12:00 ESPN2
Line: Coastal Carolina -5.5, o/u: 48

Arkansas State at Texas State

12:00 ESPNU
Line: Arkansas State -6, o/u: 67

[lawrence-related id=523240]

Georgia Southern at Army

12:00 CBS Sports Network
Line: Army -4, o/u: 40

Georgia State at South Alabama

3:30 ESPNU
Line: Georgia State -3.5, o/u: 59

Middle Tennessee at Troy

3:30 ESPN3
Line: Troy -13, o/u: 59.5

[lawrence-related id=523274]

Central Arkansas at Louisiana

Canceled

ULM at Louisiana Tech

Canceled

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Sun Belt Predictions, Schedule, Game Previews, Lines, TV: Week 10

Sun Belt college football predictions, schedule, game previews, lines and TV listings for Week 10 of the season.

Sun Belt college football predictions, schedule, game previews, lines and TV listings for Week 10 of the season.

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Results So Far
SU: 33-10, ATS: 19-20, Point Total: 23-16

– Bet on Sun Belt football at BetMGM

ULM at Georgia State

12:00 ESPN3
Line: Georgia State -19, o/u: 58.5

Arkansas State at Louisiana

12:00 ESPNU
Line: Louisiana -14.5, o/u: 68

Bet $1 on the Notre Dame money line, WIN an additional $100 (in free bets) if Notre Dame scores a touchdown this weekend.
Place your legal, online sports bets in CO, IN, NJ, TN and WV at BetMGM. New customer offer, terms and conditions apply. Bet now!

Troy at Georgia Southern

1:00 ESPN3
Line: Troy -3.5, o/u: 53.5

Appalachian State at Texas State

3:00 ESPN+
Line: Appalachian State -21, o/u: 57

South Alabama at Coastal Carolina

8:00 ESPNU
Line: Coastal Carolina -17.5, o/u: 55.5

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Louisiana vs Arkansas State Prediction, Game Preview

Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns vs Arkansas State Red Wolves prediction and game preview.

Louisiana vs Arkansas State prediction and game preview.

Louisiana vs Arkansas State Broadcast

Date: Saturday, September 7th
Game Time: 12:00 pm
Venue: Cajun Field, Lafayette, LA
Network: ESPNU

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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

Louisiana (5-1) vs Arkansas State (3-4) Game Preview

For latest lines and to bet on college football, go to BetMGM

Why Arkansas State Will Win

The offense continues to be great.

The passing game is the best in the Sun Belt and among the most productive in the nation, there was a little bit of a ground game last week against Troy, and the yards are there.

Turnovers are a problem, and there aren’t enough points for all of the yards, but the attack should be able to at least keep things moving against a Louisiana D that doesn’t generate a whole lot of pressure in the backfield. On the flip side, the Red Wolves are a tackle-for-loss machine, but …

– CFN Experts Picks: College Football

Why Louisiana Will Win

The ASU defense is giving up over 40 points and allowing 488 yards per game, the secondary is getting bombed on, and for all the plays in the backfield, the run defense isn’t good enough.

That’s an issue, but the lack of scoring punch is the bigger issue – the team should be built for shootouts. The Red Wolves had a few outburst games, but it only hit 24 points four times in seven games.

Louisiana? It’s got the ground game to take over the game early, but the passing attack is what came through last week against Texas State. There’s enough variance to the attack to score in a variety of ways.

Bet $1 on the Notre Dame money line, WIN an additional $100 (in free bets) if Notre Dame scores a touchdown this weekend.
Place your legal, online sports bets in CO, IN, NJ, TN and WV at BetMGM. New customer offer, terms and conditions apply. Bet now!

What’s Going To Happen

Louisiana is fantastic, but it’s playing up or down to the competition. Oddly enough, the easiest blowout was against Iowa State – everything else has been decided by ten points or fewer.

ASU will once again crank up the yards, but it’ll stall just enough to allow the Ragin’ Cajuns to hold serve. It’ll be a good, fun game, but Louisiana will close out more drives with points.

– Week 10 College Football Schedule, Predictions

Louisiana vs Arkansas State Prediction, Line

Louisiana 40, Arkansas State 30
Bet on Louisiana vs Arkansas State with BetMGM
Louisiana -14.5, o/u: 68
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2

Must See Rating: 2.5

5: ANYTHING to take your mind off of …
1: EVERYTHING in the real world

CFN 1-127 Rankings | Bowl Projections
20 Most Important College Football Thoughts Ever
Week 10 College Football Schedule

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Coastal Carolina Is The Sun Belt Sheriff Now

As Sun Belt normal powers struggle in 2020, the Chanticleers are expanding our universe.

As Sun Belt normal powers struggle in 2020, the Chanticleers are expanding our universe.

Contact @astatefanrules

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Have you ever seen a promo for a television show and thought, “How is Blue Bloods still on?” Or, “Who the heck is watching Bull?” Somewhere out there lives a fan waiting patiently for the next episode of “Man With A Plan.”

See, there are infinite universes out there. And in one of those universes (which happens to be ours), Coastal Carolina is the AP #15 program in the land.

Don’t look at me. I haven’t a clue as to how it happened, except that the Chants have quietly improved their play each year since entering the Sun Belt in 2017, the autumn following Coastal’s magic national baseball championship. That should have been a big bucket of foreshadowing, of course. But we’re as clueless as the characters in Bob Hearts Abishola, am I right? (Honestly, I don’t know.)

When Coastal Carolina entered the league, they were coached by some kind of venture capitalist named Joe Moglia, better known for being the CEO of Ameritrade than his X’s and O’s. But Moglia’s Chants paid dividends, and when he sold to Jamey Chadwell, the stock got even stronger.

We should have seen it coming. Coastal won only five games last year, but only lost to the Arkansas State Red Wolves by a point. This year, Chadwell’s cocks pounded A-State 52-23. To show they meant business, Coastal obliterated an improved Georgia State squad fifty-one TO ZERO! Coastal Carolina, we beg for the mercy you will not give!

Coastal Carolina is a perfect 6-0, which includes a pimp-slapping of Kansas. They’re led by a freshman QB, Grayson McCall, whose skills are legit and will haunt the Sun Belt for years. The only serious threats to a perfect season are a game with Appalachian State and a season closer with #25 Liberty. How is this happening? Why is this happening? What is happening?

As the Panthers’ can attest, it’s not just McCall and RB C.J. Marable crushing opponent’s spirits. The front four lead the #14 ranked defense with 20 sacks. C.J. Brewer is unstoppable and should be secured in a steel vault between games. The Chants are so well-rounded, the math department is using the team to calibrate their instruments to pi.

As a Sun Belt original gangster, I view the Chanticleer’s success with gritted teeth. A team so recently removed from FCS should have to pay their dues with winless seasons and years of chagrin. We did! But here we are, eyes blazing from taking in that ridiculous teal field, watching what was once a guaranteed body bag delivering death punch after death punch to cringing opponents. It’s not fair!

But they’re a whole lot more fun to watch than a season of Young Sheldon. 

A former notary public, Jeremy Harper is a professional writer and Chief Instigator for Storm the Castle Creative. He spends much of his free time staring blankly into space.  

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Sun Belt Predictions, Schedule, Game Previews, Lines, TV: Week 9

Sun Belt college football predictions, schedule, game previews, lines and TV listings for Week 9 of the season.

Sun Belt college football predictions, schedule, game previews, lines and TV listings for Week 9 of the season.

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Results So Far
SU: 29-9, ATS: 16-18, Point Total: 22-12

Thursday, October 29

South Alabama at Georgia Southern

Line: Georgia Southern -3.5, o/u: 52
Prediction: Georgia Southern 30, South Alabama 24
Final Score: Georgia Southern 24, South Alabama 17

Saturday, October 31

Coastal Carolina at Georgia State

12:00 ESPNU
Line: Coastal Carolina -3, o/u: 59.5

Troy at Arkansas State

3:00 ESPN3
Line: Arkansas State -2.5, o/u: 71.5

Appalachian State at ULM

4:00 ESPNU
Line: Appalachian State -31, o/u: 55.5

Louisiana at Texas State

8:00 ESPNU
Line: Louisiana -16.5, o/u: 56

– Bet on Sun Belt football at BetMGM

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Troy vs Arkansas State Prediction, Game Preview

Troy vs Arkansas State prediction and game preview.

Troy vs Arkansas State prediction and game preview.

Troy vs Arkansas State Broadcast

Date: Saturday, October 31
Game Time: 3:00 ET
Venue: Centennial Bank Stadium, Jonesboro, AR
Network: ESPN3

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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

Troy (3-2) vs Arkansas State (3-3) Game Preview

For latest lines and to bet on college football, go to BetMGM

Why Troy Will Win

The Troy passing game has the ability to keep up. It had one bad day against BYU – everyone does – but it bombed away against everyone else with well over 300 yards in each of the last three games and over 400 in the loss to Georgia State.

Arkansas State isn’t into the whole defense thing.

The Red Wolves have the offense to hang around in any sort of firefight, but the defense has been hammered for over 280 passing yards by everyone but Appalachian State, and that’s because the Mountaineers were too busy running at will.

ASU has allowed over 500 yards of total offense four of the six games so far, and Troy will be happy to add to the mix.

However …

Why Arkansas State Will Win

To be fair to Arkansas State, it’s not like the defense has been crunched by the weak and the sad.

It’s not okay to have the Sun Belt’s worst defense, but four of the games were at Memphis, Kansas State, Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State – those four can crank up the O. Georgia State put up 583 in the firefight a few weeks ago, and it’s got an offense, too.

Arkansas State does everything big. It turns the ball over a ton, but it forces a lot of mistakes. It gives up a whole lot of big yards, but the passing game is all but unstoppable when it gets into a groove.

What’s Going To Happen

Troy has flown a bit under the radar, and this is the real test to see if it’s going to be a Sun Belt player or not.

There will be plenty of passing yards, lots of points, and a ton of wild mood swings. The Arkansas State offense at home will pull this out in the final moments as both defenses melt down in in the fourth.

– Week 9 College Football Schedule, Predictions

Troy vs Arkansas State Prediction, Line

Arkansas State 48, Troy 44
Bet on Troy vs Arkansas State with BetMGM
Arkansas State -2.5, o/u: 71.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2

Must See Rating: 3.5

5: Halloween (either Siouxsie and the Banshees or Ministry version)
1: “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”

CFN 1-127 Rankings | Bowl Projections
20 Most Important College Football Thoughts Ever
Week 9 College Football Schedule

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Sun Belt Blesses ESPN With More (Potentially) Great Mid-Week Football Content

The Appalachian State Mountaineers take on the Arkansas State Red Wolves on Thursday night, as if we deserve it. Contact @astatefanrules This paragraph was going to be a charmingly clever introduction to the meaty football feast that is the …

The Appalachian State Mountaineers take on the Arkansas State Red Wolves on Thursday night, as if we deserve it. 

Contact @astatefanrules

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This paragraph was going to be a charmingly clever introduction to the meaty football feast that is the Mountaineers versus the Red Wolves tonight on ESPN, but my colleague Rex Steele summed it up best:

Coming in Hot: The Red Wolves

Arkansas State is coming off two offensively volcanic wins, totaling 109 points and 1,124 total yards. The Red Wolves also implemented a bit of “momentum by subtraction” in firing defensive coordinator David Duggan, whose defense schemes were simply yielding too many points. Look for the defense to receive an adrenaline injection in support of interim DC Nick Paremski.

Coming in Chilly: The Mountaineers

Appalachian State hasn’t played a snap of competitive football since September 26, when they conducted some business against Campbell (52-21). The Mountaineers have a victory over Charlotte in addition to Campbell, but those programs are a combined 1-6. In a loss to Marshall, Appalachian State managed a mere seven points – albeit against a very tough Herd defense. It’s difficult to measure the Mountaineers under new head coach Shawn Clark. Thursday will reveal much.

Dumb Observation

This will be the third game for the Red Wolves facing a team that, at some point this season, boasted an AP Top 25 ranking – Kansas State, Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State.

Zack Thomas vs “Logan Hatcher”

Mountaineers QB Zack Thomas was named preseason Sun Belt Offensive POY after a massively huge 2019 campaign (2,700 yards, 28 TDs), but he has yet to fully unload in 2020. Over in Jonesboro, the law firm of Logan Bonner & Layne Hatcher is tearing apart opposing secondaries, combining for 1,834 yards and 21 TDs in just five games. NOTE: the Mountaineers’ defense is only allowing 167 yards per contest.

Crystal Balls

The Mountaineers make my crystal balls murky. They’re like a science experiment: what effect does a month of football inertia have on the human body? Appalachian State could bounce into Kidd Brewer will rested and fully prepared for sixty minutes of pigskin. But experience tells me they are more likely to struggle with atrophy early on. If the Red Wolves can strike early and often, look for an upset in Boone.

 

A former notary public, Jeremy Harper is a professional writer and Chief Instigator for Storm the Castle Creative. He spends much of his free time staring blankly into space. 

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Arkansas State vs Appalachian State Prediction, Game Preview

Arkansas State Red Wolves vs Appalachian State Mountaineers prediction and game preview.

Arkansas State vs Appalachian State prediction and game preview.

Arkansas State vs Appalachian State Broadcast

Date: Thursday, October 22nd
Game Time: 7:30 ET
Venue: Kidd Brewer Stadium Boone, NC
Network: ESPN

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– All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

Arkansas State (3-2) vs Appalachian State (2-1) Game Preview

For latest lines and to bet on college football, go to BetMGM

Why Arkansas State Will Win

The passing game is clicking.

The Red Wolves might have had problems against Coastal Carolina a few weeks ago, but the air show went off on Georgia State for 551 yards for the Sun Belt’s No. 1 offense.

The defense has been a bit of a rumor over the last few weeks, but but it’s been great at getting into the backfield, it’s forcing mistakes, and it’s at least in a bit of a routine. Appalachian State hasn’t played since late September, and it hasn’t played anyone good since losing to Marshall.

The Mountaineer pass defense hasn’t seen a high-octane offense like this. But …

Why Appalachian State Will Win

The ASU defense has been fantastic over the first three games.

Forget about the win over Campbell – that’s Campbell.

The defense was able keep Marshall’s passing game in check, but it had problems against the run – that’s not an issue against Arkansas State. The pass rush has been okay, but against this offense, the goal is to keep it off the field.

The Mountaineers are blasting away with the running game, hitting Charlotte for over 300 yards and Campbell for over 400. The Red Wolves gave up over 200 rushing yards to the Memphis ground game, and lost. The same went for the loss to Coastal Carolina, allowing 217 yards. Georgia State ran for 269 yards, and almost pulled off the win.

Appalachian State might have had time off, but it’s rested. The offensive line will come out roaring.

What’s Going To Happen

The Arkansas State passing game will be good enough to make Appalachian State press and have to keep scoring, but that’s where the ground game kicks in. The Mountaineers will be a wee bit stronger on the lines.

Arkansas State vs Appalachian State Prediction, Line

Appalachian State 37, Arkansas State 23
Bet on Arkansas State vs App State with BetMGM
Appalachian State -13, o/u: 68
ATS Confidence out of 5: 1.5

Must See Rating: 3

5: Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
1: Hubie Halloween

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The Sun Belt is Winning the ESPN Football Game

The Sun Belt is Winning the ESPN Football Game Contact @astatefanrules When presented with a national TV opportunity, as the Sun Belt has this year with an abundance of slots on ESPN, the pressure to entertain is a very real thing. After all, …

The Sun Belt is Winning the ESPN Football Game

Contact @astatefanrules

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When presented with a national TV opportunity, as the Sun Belt has this year with an abundance of slots on ESPN, the pressure to entertain is a very real thing. After all, college programs are also television programs. Bad ratings will get you canceled quicker than the last season of ALF. Your choices are 1) amuse the masses, or 2) stagger through the Phantom Zone of ESPN Plus.

This stupid COVID season, the Sun Belt has delivered the goods, starting will national televised gridiron dramas against Kansas State, Kansas and Iowa State, and continuing with this week’s mid-season offering of in-conference donnybrooks.

Wednesday’s battle on ESPN2 between undefeated Coastal Carolina and #21 Louisiana lived up to its billing – two top tier Sun Belt teams throwing hands! The result? An excellent, well-played 30-27 football game won on a last-second field goal from the conference’s exciting up-and-comer, Chanticleers.

The next night, ESPN aired Arkansas State vs. Georgia State, a pair of programs that piles on points. Again, ESPN audiences were treated to a spectacle – a hootenanny of offense that pushed ESPN into the realm of delivering fake news.

Though not even the final score – 59-52 – was a Sun Belt record for highest scoring game, it was still some damn fine TV, culminating in a classic Blake Anderson trick play to seal the winning score for Arkansas State.

The point is, Sun Belt football is a brand whose stock is rising. While COVID-19 has disrupted our lives – with shockingly deadly consequences – the Sun Belt has made the most of an awful situation by providing quality content for a nation starving for quality content.

Except for ULM, that is. What the hell, Warhawks?

A former notary public, Jeremy Harper is a professional writer and Chief Instigator for Storm the Castle Creative. He spends much of his free time staring blankly into space.

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