7-0 App State Tries to Keep Slim CFP Hopes Alive as 16-Point Favorites vs Georgia Southern in Week 10

• Appalachian State hosts Georgia Southern on Thursday in a scary-good Halloween night tilt (8:00 PM ET, Oct. 31)
• The 7-0 Mountaineers are 16-point favorites and the total is set at 45.0
• App State is +4000 to make the College Football Playoff

The Appalachian State Mountaineers (7-0, 4-0 Sun Belt) and Georgia Southern Eagles (4-3, 2-1 Sun Belt) square off this Thursday (8:00 PM ET, Oct. 31) in a Group of Five battle with national implications.

App State has outscored its last three opponents by a staggering 99-17 margin, while Georgia Southern has won three in a row after losing three of its first four games to open the season. The Georgia Southern vs App State odds don’t put a lot of stock into the Eagles’ win streak, though.

Georgia Southern vs Appalachian State Odds

Odds taken Oct. 29

At first glance, this is a statistical mismatch. The Mountaineers are ninth in the country in scoring offense, averaging 41.0 points per game. Meanwhile, the Eagles are tied for 69th in scoring defense, giving up up 28.0 points per game. Not exactly a stout unit. App State is coming off an all-around performance against South Alabama.

App State 30. South Alabama 3. The highlights.#PridePassionPurpose pic.twitter.com/PRQIdEUwae

— App State Football (@AppState_FB) October 27, 2019

Revenge Will Be a Factor

Another component to keep in mind is vengeance. The Eagles walloped the Mountaineers 34-14 last season in a game that saw App State quarterback Zac Thomas leave early. The Mountaineers were also without star running back Jalin Moore in the 2018 contest. Moore is now part of the New York Jets, but Thomas is back and has been lights out this season. All the junior has done is throw for 1,295 passing yards and 11 touchdowns while running for 266 yards and four more TDs on the ground.

App State strikes first!! Zac Thomas with a 19 yard TD to Thomas Hennigan! pic.twitter.com/hNBaaGuZNV

— I’M SEEING GHOSTS (@FTBeard11) October 26, 2019

CFP in Play for App State

Appalachian State is on the board in the latest College Football Playoff odds at +4000 to crack the four-team field.

While a non-Power Five program has yet to crash the CFP party, we’ve seen plenty of upheaval in college football before. Remember 2007? Mountaineers fans do. So do Wolverines fans. That was the year App State went into the Big House and shocked the Maize and Blue 34-32 in the first game of the season to become the first FCS team to beat a ranked FBS squad.

The 2007 season was also the year that a number of regular-season upsets allowed LSU to eventually play (and beat) Ohio State in the National Championship Game.

With Georgia, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma all losing in the last few weeks, there’s potential for a power (five) vacuum at season’s end.

The Bottom Line

Getting back to the Halloween night game between the Mountaineers and the Eagles. Will it be a trick or treat for 7-0 App State — who play South Carolina in Week 11? Will the heavy favorites be caught looking ahead? Or will Eliah Drinkwitz’s squad take care of business at Kidd Brewer Stadium?

When you take into account App State’s offense, the revenge, how much they have to play for, plus numerous trends … everything points to a lopsided Mountaineer victory

I say the Mountaineers cover the spread and handle the Eagles with ease. When you take into account App State’s offense, the revenge factor, how much they have to play for, plus numerous trends (Georgia Southern is 1-8 ATS in its last nine games on fieldturf and 1-5 ATS in its last six Thursday games while App State is 8-1 ATS in its last nine games after allowing less than 100 yards rushing in their previous game), everything points to a lopsided Mountaineer victory.