The first college football betting option of the Bowl season is the inaugural Myrtle Beach Bowl, which takes place between the Appalachian State Mountaineers and the North Texas Mean Green on Monday afternoon.
Oddsmakers aren't expecting the first bowl game of the year to be a competitive one, installing Appalachian State as a whopping 19.5-point favorite for this contest at Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina.
We break down the college football odds with our best free picks and predictions for Appalachian State vs. North Texas at the Myrtle Beach Bowl on Monday, December 21, with kickoff at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Appalachian State Mountaineers vs North Texas Mean Green Betting Preview
Weather
It will be a clear afternoon at Brooks Stadium with a temperature of 55 degrees and winds reaching up to 9.5 mph. . Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Key Injuries
Appalachian State: Daetrich Harrington RB (Out), Marcus Williams Jr. RB (Questionable), Corey Sutton WR (Out).
North Texas: Cam Johnson DB (Questionable), Jaelon Darden (Out), Jyaire Shorter WR (Out).
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting Trend to Know
The Under is 6-1 in the Mountaineers' last seven games against teams with a losing record. Find more NCAA betting trends for Appalachian State vs. North Texas.
Against the Spread (ATS) Pick
The Mountaineers finished their regular season with an 8-3 record—and their losses were highly competitive games against very good teams. However, they have been one of the worst ATS teams in the country, going just 2-9 ATS on the year and covering just once in their last seven games.
Luckily for them, the Mean Green have been just as bad of a bet, going 6-21 ATS in their last 27 contests and 1-7 ATS in their previous eight as an underdog.
North Texas is coming off a win, which improved their record to 4-5, but a victory against Texas El Paso isn't exactly something to brag about. The Mean Green have one of the worst defenses in the country, surrendering 42.6 points per game.
Their run defense has been especially bad, ranking 127th in the country by allowing 262.9 rushing yards per game to FBS foes. That's bad news against an App State offense that piles up 243.6 rushing yards per game and has an efficient aerial attack led by quarterback Zac Thomas.
The Mean Green have been able to stay in games thanks to their dynamic passing game but that takes a big hit with wide receiver and Biletnikoff semifinalist Jaelon Darden opting to sit out the Bowl game and prepare for the NFL Draft.
Appalachian State will be able to put up a lot of points against the Mean Green defense and without Darden in the fold, North Texas won't be able to stay in this game. Take the Mountaineers to win and cover.
PREDICTION: Appalachian State -19.5 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
With two teams that averaged more than 30 ppg during the regular season and a brutal North Texas defense, the Over might look tempting. But keep in mind that Appalachian State has a stingy defense that holds FBS foes to just 19.1 ppg.
Thanks to that rock-solid stop unit, the Mountaineers have gone 6-1 to the Under in their last seven games against teams with a losing record.
The loss of Darden to North Texas' passing game can't be overstated. He had an incredible 74 catches for 1,190 yards and 19 touchdowns, which accounted for 46 percent of the Mean Green's total passing yards and 76 percent of their passing touchdowns.
North Texas' QB platoon of Austin Aune and Jason Bean aren't the most accurate passers and will likely struggle without Darden against a Mountaineers pass defense that holds opponents to just 168 passing yards per game. Look for the Mountaineers to impress on defense and drag this total Under.
PREDICTION: Under 63.5 (-110)
Myrtle Beach Bowl: Appalachian State vs North Texas Betting Card
- Appalachian State -19.5 (-110)
- Under 63.5 (-110)
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