The inaugural Sun Belt Championship Game will be played in Boone, where Appalachian State gets ready to host Louisiana on Saturday afternoon.
Though they still only have 10 teams in the conference, the Sun Belt took advantage of the liberalized rules around conference championship games that also allowed the Big 12 to relaunch their title game last year. Unlike the Big 12, though, the Sun Belt split into two divisions like every other FBS conference.
Louisiana came out atop the Sun Belt West, with a 7-5 record and finishing 5-3 in conference play. Their 47-43 victory against Arkansas State on October 27 proved pivotal, as they finished with identical 5-3 records that required a head-to-head tiebreaker. The Ragin’ Cajuns made it to the inaugural championship game despite a defense that ranks outside the top 100 nationally in almost every possible category.
Appalachian State has the chance to reach 10 wins on Saturday at home when they take on Louisiana. The Mountaineers would likely be there already if their showdown against Southern Miss had not been cancelled by Hurricane Florence. Scott Satterfield’s team ranks 17th in points per game and fifth nationally in scoring defense. If not for a 34-14 loss at Georgia Southern back in October, Appalachian State would have finished with only one defeat that came in the season opener against Penn State.
The hosts are a heavy favorite on Saturday afternoon in Boone as the Mountaineers prepare to kick off a new era of Sun Belt football against the Ragin’ Cajuns. Here’s how you can watch the inaugural Sun Belt championship game between Appalachian State and Louisiana:
Date: Saturday, Dec. 1
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: Boone, N.C.
Venue: Kidd Brewer Stadium
TV: ESPN
Live Stream: WatchESPN | FuboTV
Keys to Victory
The Ragin’ Cajuns have struggled on defense, but they have had just as many issues with their punting game. Both when they are kicking away the ball and when they are trying to return punts. They rank 109th overall in net punting, but to beat Appalachian State on the road they will need to do a better job of flipping field position.
App State has struggled with generating first downs, despite ranking in the top 50 in both third-down and fourth-down conversion rates. Moving the chains and shortening the game will be a critical part of success for the Mountaineers. Getting pressure on Andre Nunez will be critical as well, as the defensive front seven has struggled to generate sacks this year.
Betting Odds
Odds courtesy of oddsshark.com
Point Spread: Appalachian State -17
Over/Under: 58.5
Prediction
Appalachian State is by any metric the better team in this contest. There is no legitimate reason to think that the Ragin’ Cajuns can come to Boone and conquer the Mountaineers for the conference title. Satterfield’s squad is going to have no trouble taking down Louisiana convincingly. While it won’t be enough to win the Group of Five bid into a New Year’s Six bowl, it will be enough to set the Mountaineers up for a possible 11-2 campaign.
Final Score: Appalachian State 41, Louisiana 21