The Raycom Media Camellia Bowl on Saturday features a pair of teams with nine wins in Sun Belt champions Appalachian State and Toledo from the Mid-American Conference.
Both teams will head to Montgomery, Alabama, to face off for the chance to get to 10 wins. The teams are extremely close on paper and oddsmakers have Toledo as a slim 1-point favorite over the Mountaineers.
Viewing information
Date: Dec. 17
Time: 5:30 p.m. ET
Location: Cramton Bowl; Montgomery, Alabama
TV: ESPN
Live stream (computer): WatchESPN
Live stream (mobile): WatchESPN
Storylines
Appalachian State: The Mountaineers nearly stunned Tennessee in Knoxville in their season-opening 20-13 overtime loss, but many turned attention away from Appalachian State after the Mountaineers were dominated 45-10 by Miami in the third game of the season. The Mountaineers, as they have been since joining the league, were great once in Sun Belt play, finishing 7-1 in the conference.
Much like last year, Appalachian State's success is dictated by a tremendous defense. Even with the 45 points allowed to the Hurricanes, the Mountaineers finished seventh in the nation in scoring defense, allowing an average of 17 points. They have excellent linebackers, led by Eric Boggs and Kennan Gilchrist, who swarm to the ball and hit hard, limiting opponents to 125.8 yards per game rushing.
The pass defense is quite stingy as well, allowing only 200 yards per game through the air. The Mountaineers face a tough test against a Toledo offense that is fourth in the nation in total yards per game, but this is a defense that can slow down even the most explosive offenses.
Toledo: On the other side is that Toledo offense that finished the season fourth in total yards per game, eighth in passing yards per game and 18th in scoring. The Rockets will have to crack the code of the Appalachian State defense, something that hasn't really happened since the fourth week of the season.
Toledo will look to quarterback Logan Woodside to lead the way, as he completed 69 percent of his passes this season for 3,882 yards and 43 touchdowns against nine interceptions. The Rockets' passing attack was among the nation's best, but struggled in their most recent outing against Western Michigan.
Running the ball is extremely difficult against the Mountaineers, and while passing isn't much easier, the teams that have had the most success offensively against Appalachian State this season have done the majority of their damage through the air. Both Miami and Akron completed better than 70 percent of their passes for over 350 yards to put up 38 and 45 against the Mountaineers. Toledo will look to find similar success and will likely need to in order to get the win.
Prediction
This game is a toss-up on the odds sheet, but I'm going to stay with the defense and Appalachian State here. Neither team fared particularly well against the best competition this season, but between the two strengths of both teams -- App State's defense and Toledo's offense -- I feel as though the Mountaineers' defense was the best of the two against better competition. Both teams are solid and I think this is a good, close game with the Mountaineers edging out the Rockets to get to 10 wins. Pick: Appalachian State +1
 |  |  |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toledo -0.5 |
