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The South Alabama Jaguars (1-2) visit the Appalachian State Mountaineers (2-1) Thursday night for their Sun Belt Conference opener in Boone. N.C. Opening kickoff at Kidd Brewer Stadium is set for 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s college football odds around South Alabama vs. Appalachian State odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
South Alabama lost its first 2 games — 52-38 vs. North Texas and 27-20 at Ohio — and rebounded with a Week 3 rout of an FCS foe. The Jaguars rushed for 363 yards and threw for 257 more, while leveraging a plus-4 in turnovers, as they throttled Northwestern State 87-10 Sept. 12, covering as 37-point home favorites on a Thursday night.
Appalachian State bounced back from a Week 2 setback at Clemson (66-20) with a come-from-behind 21-19 victory at East Carolina Saturday. The Mountaineers overcame a 16-0 first-quarter deficit, eventually racking up 39 minutes of possession time in earning the road win — and covering as 1-point favorites — vs. the Pirates.
– Rankings: US LBM Coaches Poll, conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports
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South Alabama at Appalachian State odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of college football odds. Lines last updated Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline: South Alabama +220 (bet $100 to win $220) | Appalachian State -275 (bet $275 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): South Alabama +7 (-105) | Appalachian State -7 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 62.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
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South Alabama at Appalachian State picks and predictions
Prediction
Appalachian State 38, South Alabama 35
Moneyline
Lots of juice here. PASS.
Against the spread
The Jaguars have showed enough capability on early downs and in staying on schedule when they have the ball. The Mountaineers have struggled on defense.
The Mountaineers rushed for just 2.7 yards per carry at ECU and have a 4.3 average for the season. That’s likely not enough ground game to clock a 2-score lead late. ASU should have a talent advantage, but look for the above to be true to the point that the visitors are within a score when this one ends.
Add in some red-zone lean toward the Jaguars.
TAKE SOUTH ALABAMA +7 (-105).
Over/Under
The total has gone Over in 4 of South Alabama’s last 5 games and in 7 of USA’s last 10 road games.
Both defenses have given up a slew of explosive plays. The Jaguars have trended toward big play-count 1st halves and then slowdowns late. This contest figures to have both sides cranking out a lot of snaps throughout.
It’d be wise not to overestimate USA’s 87-spot last week … but also not to discontinue its production in that game altogether.
The Mountaineers had better production than what showed on the scoreboard in their 21-point game at ECU. ASU had 505 total yards in the game.
BET OVER 62.5 (-110).
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