2017
Appalachian State
College Football
Betting Preview
Schedule
The same statement has been said about Appalachian State for three years in a row, coming off back-to-back double-digit win seasons. With quarterback Taylor LAmb a senior, at least 10 wins is expected yet again for the Mountaineers with enough talent around combined with a favorable Schedule to top the conference. They’re heavy favorites to win the Sun Belt with +105 odds (at 5Dimes Sportsbook) in late July.
LAmb had just 15 passing touchdowns last year, down from 31 in 2015, but it wasn’t a huge deal as he completed the same amount of passes and almost the same amount of yards. He should be around the 2016 totals again, with possibly a higher touchdown total, pending on how dominant the ground Game is after LAmb (506 rushing yards, 9 TDs), Jalin Moore (1,402 yards, 10 TDs) and Marcus Cox (1,015 yards, 9 TDs) all averaged more than 5.7 yards per carry. Even with Cox gone, that could be the same case again with LAmb, Moore and Terrence Upshaw, who sat out last season, running behind three returning starters on the line, two of them all-Conference performers. In the receiving Game, Shaedon Meadors (716 yards, 2 TDs) should top his total and freshman Jalen Virgil looks to be a playmaker.
As the offense ran through opposing defenses, the Mountaineers got rest on the other side of the ball and that resulted in just 17.8 points per Game allowed. While some playmakers are gone in the back eight (3-4 scheme), there is still enough talent that this should again be the top unit in the conference. Tee Sims and Caleb Fuller are great up front, while linebackers Eric Boggs and Devan Stringer will likely be the top two tacklers on the team. The secondary is based around senior safety A.J. Howard, while sophomore corner Clifton Duck steps into the top corner role.
With so much talent returning, the Mountaineers should at least get a share of the Sun Belt title as they don’t face Troy or Arkansas State, their top competition. They should also win all Four of their Conference road Games, meaning an undefeated record in the Sun Belt is possible. To reach double-digit wins before the postseason, Appalachian State isn’t a stretch to take down Wake Forest, or even Georgia on the road. Their over/under was at 9 wins in the middle of summer, but the over saw a lot of early action at 5Dimes.
It’d be a surprise if the Mountaineers don’t reach nine wins because of the Schedule. That’d be giving them two non-Conference losses and then another somewhere in their Sun Belt Schedule. With LAmb in his senior year and a running Game just as good, there’s no reason to think this team will lose a Conference Game after all seven of their wins came by double-digits last year with the loss at Troy.
2017 Appalachian State Mountaineers Football Schedule
Sept. 2 at Georgia
Sept. 9 vs. Savannah State
Sept. 16 at Texas State
Sept. 23 vs. Wake Forest
Oct. 7 vs. New Mexico State
Oct. 14 at Idaho
Oct. 21 vs. Coastal Carolina
Oct. 28 at Massachusetts
Nov. 4 at UL Monroe
Nov. 9 vs. Georgia Southern
Nov. 25 at Georgia State
Dec. 2 vs. Louisiana LAfayette