Georgia State vs. Appalachian State Betting: Feast or famine Mountaineers look to even up Sun Belt record on Wednesday night

Just like last week, Week 8 of the college football season will kick off on Wednesday night with some Fun Belt action. Last week, it was Louisiana visiting–and beating–Marshall. This week, Boone, North Carolina will be the place to be, as Appalachian State will host Georgia State.

The Mountaineers beat Texas A&M in the second week of the season and could or should have beaten North Carolina in their season opener. Based on those results, you’d think that they would be better than 3-3 overall and 1-2 in conference play, but that is where they are after Saturday’s 36-24 loss at Texas State.

Georgia State, meanwhile, is looking for a third straight win following an 0-4 start. The Panthers were off this past week, but they will make the trip to Boone after a road win over Army and a home win over Georgia State.

Georgia State vs. Appalachian State Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Georgia State (2-4, 1-1 Sun Belt) vs. Appalachian State (3-3, 1-2 Sun Belt)
• Venue & Location: Kidd Brewer Stadium
• Date: Wednesday, October 19, 2022
• Game Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time
• How to Watch Georgia State vs. Appalachian State: ESPN2

Georgia State vs. Appalachian State Odds

Game odds are via Bovada Sportsbook. Odds from our other recommended legal sports betting sites may also appear in this article.

Spread

• Georgia State +10 (-110)
• Appalachian State -10 (-110)

Over/Under

• Over 60.5 (-110)
• Under 60.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Georgia State +300
• Appalachian State -385

Georgia State vs. Appalachian State Prediction and Betting Picks

Georgia State vs. Appalachian State Prediction: Appalachian State to win

Georgia State vs. Appalachian State Picks: Georgia State to cover (Best Value: +10.5 @ -110 at BetMGM) & Georgia State/Appalachian State over (Best Value: over 60.5 @ -110 at Bovada Sportsbook)

Can the Mountaineers Revive Their Season?

Appalachian State’s chaotic first three weeks of the season got them a lot of national attention, as they narrowly lost to North Carolina, won at Texas A&M, and downed Troy on a Hail Mary after getting a visit from College GameDay.

But the shine has completely faded with losses in their last two Sun Belt games, as they blew a 28-3 lead at home against James Madison and were held to a season-low 41 rushing yards in a 36-24 loss at Texas State.

Quarterback Chase Brice is putting up big numbers through the air, but their ground game has not been as productive as expected with both Nate Noel and Camerun Peoples missing time.

They need the offense to be firing on all cylinders against Georgia State, as I don’t really trust their defense against an explosive offense.

They are giving up just 3.4 yards per carry, but that becomes a lot less impressive when you consider that one of their games was against The Citadel and Troy and Texas State are in the bottom 10 in FBS in yards per carry.

All that said, at their best, the Mountaineers obviously have a high ceiling, but can we trust that we will see it? Not at this point, but some time off between the Texas State loss and this game may prove to be valuable.

Are the Panthers Starting to Hit Their Stride?

The same can be asked of Georgia State, who led both South Carolina and North Carolina in the second half but couldn’t make a stop when they needed to against Charlotte and couldn’t overcome an early 17-point hole against Coastal Carolina.

But while the Mountaineers are trending down, the Panthers are trending up following a win at Army and a rivalry win over Georgia Southern, who promptly turned around and ended James Madison’s perfect start.

Quarterback Darren Grainger started the season by going 7 of 29 against South Carolina, but he has gotten more settled in as the season has progressed.

He did throw two interceptions against Coastal Carolina, but he is averaging 9.2 yards per attempt and completing 63.3 percent of his passes over his last five games.

Grainger is one of four rushing threats for the Panthers, who are 13th in FBS in rushing yards per game at 234.3 yards per game.

Leading Rushers for Georgia State

• Tucker Gregg: 101 carries, 460 yards (4.6 yards per carry), 6 TD
• Jamyest Williams: 68 carries, 403 yards (5.9 yards per carry), 2 TD
• Darren Grainger: 67 carries, 303 yards (4.5 yards per carry), 2 TD
• Marcus Carroll: 37 carries, 246 yards (6.6 yards per carry)

I don’t particularly trust Georgia State’s defense either, but they have forced a lot of turnovers. They are in the top ten in FBS in interceptions (10) and total takeaways (15), and eight of those takeaways have come in their last two games.

Appalachian State has only five giveaways in six games, but their few mistakes have come at inopportune times. And against a defense that loves to get its hands on the ball, I think they will make a mistake or two that will help Georgia State stay in the game.

With the chaos that both teams have been a part of this season, I’m definitely expecting a much more entertaining game than last Wednesday’s Sun Belt matchup between Louisiana and Marshall.

But opposing teams don’t come out on top often at Kidd Brewer Stadium, and it took two of the wildest games you’ll see this year for North Carolina and James Madison to do so.

I expect the Mountaineers to pull out the win in this one, but I think Georgia State, with numerous offensive threats and a playmaking defense, will prove to be hard to put away.