MIDDLE TENNESSEE VS. APPALACHIAN STATE: FREE NEW ORLEANS BOWL PICK
Free Saturday College Football Pick
Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs. Appalachian State Mountaineers
Date: Saturday, December 15th
Time: 9:00 PM
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Week 2 ATS Betting Lines: : Appalachian State -7
Week 2 NFL Betting Total: 53.5
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This Saturday night’s R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl closes out the five-game slate of bowl games with the Conference USA’s Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders tangling with the Sun Belt’s Appalachian State Mountaineers in a 9 p.m. start on ESPN from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Middle Tennessee vs. Appalachian State Game Overview
Middle Tennessee won C-USA’s East Division this season at 7-1 straight-up in conference play as part of an overall record of 8-5. The Blue Raiders came up short as slight 1.5-point favorites in a 27-25 loss to UAB in the title game. This was the first time they failed to cover in their last six games as part of an identical 8-5 record against the spread on OnlineSportsBet’ closing line. The total went OVER in three of their last four games.
Brent Stockstill took the majority of the snaps at quarterback and he threw for 3,214 yards and 28 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He passed for at least 260 yards in five of his last six starts. Ty Lee was his top target in the passing games with 67 receptions for 828 yards and seven scores on an offense that averaged 29.2 points per game.
The Mountaineers’ successful 7-1 SU run through the Sun Belt this season resulted in a conference championship after beating Louisiana 30-19 in the title game as heavy 17.5-point favorites. They went 10-2 SU overall and after failing to cover in that game their record ATS dropped to 7-3-2. The total stayed UNDER OnlineSportsBet’ closing line in six of Appalachian State’s last eight contests.
One of the big pitfalls of success as a Mid-Major program is a Power 5 program luring away the head coach. Scott Satterfield decided to take the same position with the ACC’s Louisville Cardinals after leading the Mountaineers to three-straight Sun Belt titles. His offense was predicated on running the ball with an average of 241.0 rushing yards a game. While the offense racked up 36.7 points a game behind this power running game, a defense that only allowed an average of 15.7 points also helped the cause.
Middle Tennessee vs. Appalachian State Free Game Prediction
The Blue Raiders are a very good team on both sides of the ball, but Appalachian State is a Mid-Major power that plays its best ball in the national spotlight. Lay the seven points and take the Mountaineers both SU and ATS.
