4. Appalachian State Mountaineers
They were a Thursday night loss to Georgia Southern away from getting the New Year’s Six bid.
They beat North Carolina and South Carolina on the road, and they rolled to a 12-1 regular season with a dominant campaign and a Sun Belt championship.
This year’s team should be every bit as strong under new head coach Shawn Clark. Eight starters are expected back on offense, and five are back on what should be another great defense.
✅ First 13-win season by an in-state FBS team
✅ Highest-ranked in-state team the last 2 years
✅ 5th-most wins of any FBS team over the last 5 yearsNORTH CAROLINA'S CHAMPIONSHIP FOOTBALL PROGRAM#GoApp pic.twitter.com/lmuUtNEEeA
— App State Football (@AppState_FB) January 18, 2020
This year’s date against Georgia Southern is on the road, but the Arkansas State and Louisiana showdowns are at home. The biggest keys, though, are early.
Beat Wake Forest on the road and the college football world will take notice. That would be nice, but beat Wisconsin in Madison, and then it’s Game On.
The program has the attitude and the ability to pull it off.
– Appalachian State Schedule Analysis