The Marshall Thundering Herd (2-1) and Appalachian State Mountaineers (2-1) battle Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. ET at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, N.C. Below, we look at the Marshall vs. Appalachian State odds and lines, and make our expert college football picks, predictions and bets.
Marshall is coming off a disappointing 42-38 home loss to East Carolina. The Thundering Herd led that game 38-21 heading into the fourth quarter and outgained the Pirates 647 yards to 563. The setback against ECU came on the heels of two convincing wins that saw MU outscore Navy and North Carolina Central 93-17.
The Mountaineers are also 2-1 with a similar win and loss profile, although one of their wins was against East Carolina. Appalachian State has logged big-differential victories over ECU and FCS Elon and lost a 2-point game against Miami in between.
Thursday’s game marks the 24th all-time meeting between MU and ASU. The Mountaineers lead the series, 14-9.
Marshall at Appalachian State odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 3:08 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Marshall +220 (bet $100 to win $220) | Appalachian State -280 (bet $280 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Marshall +6.5 (+100) | Appalachian State -6.5 (-125)
- Over/Under (O/U): 58.5 (O: -115 | U: -107)
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Marshall at Appalachian State odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Appalachian State 31, Marshall 21
Money line
The East Carolina comp is instructive, but only to a point with Marshall sort of “stat-winning” that game, blowing a lead late, and finishing minus-2 in turnover margin.
Appalachian State was undone 25-23 at Miami Sept. 11. The Hurricanes tallied two short-field scoring drives in the fourth quarter and the Mountaineers had a couple of clutch, big-boy drives in the second half.
Appy State is the lean, but the play against the number is more attractive: PASS on the money line.
Against the spread
Appalachian State was undone on third and fourth downs in a 17-7 loss at Marshall last season. The defeat was the lone setback for then-first-year head coach Shawn Clark in his team’s first seven games.
The line across the market has dropped for this one. With the Mountaineers capable of some game control red-zone punch-ins, and with a capable field goal kicker in PK Chandler Staton, they are the value side here.
BACK APPALACHIAN STATE -6.5 (-125) in a night-game revenge spot.
Over/Under
Both sides have piled up some points against outmatched opponents. Both have turned in credible work in defending the pass.
On a cool-ish evening with a bit of a breeze in the forecast, look to leverage a decent advantage on the UNDER 58.5 (-107).
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