Appalachian State vs. Louisiana Spread, Line, Odds, Predictions, Picks, and Betting Preview

As seems to be the tradition in the short history of the Sun Belt Championship game, the Appalachian State Mountaineers (10-2) will face off with the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (11-1) for a chance at the conference crown. 

The first Sun Belt Championship game was held in 2018. The Mountaineers toppled the Ragin’ Cajuns 30-19 in that contest and then beat them again in 2019 by a score of 45-38. Last year, there was no conference championship game due to COVID restrictions (Coastal Carolina won the division based on in-season record), so there’s never been a Sun Belt Championship that didn’t feature these two schools. It’s a testament to consistency and dominance within the conference. 

App State had Louisiana’s number, but that may have changed recently. The Ragin’ Cajuns have won each of the past two meetings, including a 41-13 domination earlier this year. Head coach Billy Napier was hired away by Florida this past weekend, but he’s not in Gainesville yet — he’ll stay on board to coach the Sun Belt Championship game. While he may not have physically joined the Gators, it’s worth questioning whether or not the distractions will trickle over to the team. 

App State has been on a hot streak, winning six straight including a crucial victory over Coastal Carolina. They’ve found another gear as a team over the past four games, especially winning by a combined score of 151 to 31. Duke transfer Chase Brice has been fine offensively (8.6 yards per attempt, 22 TDs, 10 INTs), while Nate Noel has taken over the running back room en route to a 1,000-yard season.

A Sun Belt Championship has been elusive during Billy Napier’s tenure in Lafayette. While he’ll be fired up to finally secure a win over App State in the championship game, it’s fair to question how the distractions will factor into this game. App State isn’t distracted at all — they’ve been terrorizing opponents over the past month and a half of the season.