The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns went 11-1 on the year and will give head coach Billy Napier one last chance to put his stamp on the program. Napier, Louisiana’s head coach, has accepted a job with the Florida Gators to be their next head coach.
Last year’s Sun Belt Conference Championship was cancelled because of COVID-19. Napier never got a chance last season. This season, despite leaving the program after this game, he’s going to coach his tail off to bring a championship to Louisiana before he calls it quits with the program.
Meanwhile, Appalachian State went 10-2 on the year and has won six straight games since losing to Louisiana, 41-13 back on October 12.
Will this game be any different? Here are our picks and predictions for the Sun Belt Championship game between the Appalachian State Mountaineers vs Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns.
Appalachian State vs Louisiana odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
Appalachian State opened as a 2.5-point underdog but is currently a 2.5-point favorite. However, you can find Louisiana at +3 at an outlet or two. The total has also shifted from 49.5 at open to 52.5 at most outlets. There are still some discrepancies with this game, so line shop to make sure you’re getting the best line for your bet.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full college football odds before placing your bets.
Appalachian State vs Louisiana predictions
Predictions made on 12/1/2021 at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Appalachian State vs Louisiana game info
• Location: Cajun Field, Lafayette, LA
• Date: Saturday, December 4, 2021
• Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
Appalachian State vs Louisiana betting preview
Weather
Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Key injuries
Appalachian State: No injuries to report.
Louisiana: T.J. Washam RB (Questionable).
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Mountaineers are 1-5 ATS in their last six road games vs. a team with a winning home record. Find more NCAA betting trends for Appalachian State vs. Louisiana.
Appalachian State vs Louisiana picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
I know Napier won’t be around after Saturday, but that doesn’t mean Louisiana and their players don’t want to win this game badly. The line movement for this game has been a bit ridiculous, especially knowing Louisiana already defeated Appalachian State 41-13 earlier this year.
Since that loss, Appalachian State has been much better, but Louisiana has been excellent too. The Ragin’ Cajuns have been so good that their head coach got a job in the SEC with Florida.
The offense is averaging 31.3 points per game while giving up 18.5 points per game. Louisiana averages over 400 yards per game on offense and gets nearly 200 yards on the ground per game.
The run block up front has been superb for Louisiana. However, on the defensive side of the ball, the Ragin’ Cajuns have struggled to make tackles in the open field, which is why they’ve allowed 143.8 yards per game on the ground.
Appalachian State is led by Chase Brice, who transferred into the program this season. He was a once highly touted recruit and now has taken Appalachian State into the Sun Belt Championship. Sometimes, he tries to do a bit too much and has 10 interceptions on the year, but you can thank an average offensive line in pass protection for some of Brice’s struggles under center.
Still, the Mountaineers are scoring 35.8 points per game and averaging close to 440 yards on the offensive end. The defense isn’t nearly as good at stopping the run but has been more consistent in every area this year.
This game should go down to the wire and with Louisiana getting the points, at home, I’ll side with the Ragin’ Cajuns.
Prediction: Louisiana +3 (-110)
Over/Under analysis
The total has skyrocketed due to both offenses having insane seasons. If you added both teams and their averages on offense, you’d get some ridiculous numbers. Both teams combined have scored 67.1 points per game and nearly 850 yards of offense.
However, it’s been the defenses that have been more consistent and impressive. Both teams are allowing fewer than 19 points per game and have done their part to help their respective teams get wins.
With the total inflated, I’ll take the Under now.
Prediction: Under 53.5 (-110)
Best bet
I will be sticking with Louisiana, at home, getting the points. Louisiana crushed Appalachian State earlier this season and stopped the Mountaineers from clinching a single first down.
Appalachian State literally went 0-for-11 on third downs and gained just 211 yards of offense in that contest.
Meanwhile, Louisiana got everything they wanted, gaining 455 yards and nearly 250 of those yards on the ground.
Give me Louisiana here.
Pick: Louisiana +3 (-110)
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