East Tennessee State vs Appalachian State Prediction College Football Picks 8/31/24

The East Tennessee State Buccaneers and the Appalachian State Mountaineers meet Saturday in college football action from Kidd Brewer Stadium. Here’s an East Tennessee State vs Appalachian State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best East Tennessee State vs Appalachian State pick. We will examine:

The East Tennessee State Buccaneers recent form and player performance

The Appalachian State Mountaineers recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the East Tennessee State Buccaneers

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Appalachian State Mountaineers

Recent betting trends in games played between East Tennessee State and Appalachian State

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the East Tennessee State vs Appalachian State game

East Tennessee State Buccaneers Betting Preview

Last year the Buccaneers had a pretty rough time of things. East Tennessee State limped to a 3-8 overall record and a 2-6 run in Southern Conference games. The Buccaneers landed just two spots out of the basement with that result, ahead of only Wofford and the Citadel.

East Tennessee State gets a fresh start in 2024 with the arrival of new head coach Tre Lamb and three fresh coordinators. There will be a renewed focus on the ground game on both sides of the ball this year—both in running the football and stopping the run.

Appalachian State Mountaineers Betting Preview

Over on the Mountaineers’ side, they had some ups and downs in last season’s campaign. Appalachian State posted a 9-5 overall run and a 6-2 mark in Sun Belt games, which eked the team into the conference championship versus Troy. The Mountaineers lost that game 49-23 but picked up a Cure Bowl win 13-9 over Miami-OH.

Shawn Clark steps in for his fifth season at the helm on the Mountaineers’ sideline. His team was picked to finish in first place in the East Division by the preseason coaches’ poll, so there are a lot of expectations. QB Joey Aguilar, TE Eli Wilson and WR Kaedin Robinson each share in those expectations this season.

Why the Appalachian State Mountaineers will win

• Appalachian State has won each of its last nine home games against non-FBS teams.

Why the East Tennessee State Buccaneers will win

• Appalachian State has failed to cover the spread in four of its last five games against non-FBS teams.

Matchup/League Facts

• Appalachian State ranked 14th among FBS teams for H2 points per game last season (17.3).
• Appalachian State was one of only 19 FBS teams to win 2+ games when trailing after Q3 last season.

East Tennessee State vs Appalachian State Prediction

I’ll stay with App State. Realistically the line’s too thick to touch, though. The Mountaineers should be a force on both sides of the ball this year, as they’ve retained a strong nucleus of talent from last season’s conference championship game team. Leading rusher Nate Noel is gone, but Kanye Roberts should be able to step in and help out in that regard.

The defense should be sound as well for the Mountaineers. Last year’s team was in the top five in the league in scoring defense and total defense, and there are plenty of big-name players (like LB Nate Johnson) to keep that unit moving. I like Appalachian State to start off strong here and eventually have a quality season.