The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns are looking to make a statement on Wednesday night when they host the unbeaten Appalachian State Mountaineers in a critical Sun Belt showdown. The Mountaineers defeated the Ragin' Cajuns in both meetings last season, including the inaugural Sun Belt Conference title game, and Louisiana is out for revenge and has one of the nation's top rushing offenses. The Ragin' Cajuns piled up 275 rushing yards in their last game, a 37-24 victory against Georgia Southern before their bye week. Appalachian State, meanwhile, has one of the nation's top playmakers in running back Darrynton Evans, and the Mountaineers also have had a week to rest. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET at Cajun Field. The Ragin' Cajuns are 2.5-point favorites in the latest Appalachian State vs. Louisiana odds, while the over-under is 70. Before you lock in your Appalachian State vs. Louisiana picks, you need to check out the college football predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times, and those who have followed it have seen huge returns. Over the past four-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of over $4,300 for $100 players on its top-rated college football against the spread picks.
The model enters Week 7 of the 2019 season on a strong run, going 68-42 on its top-rated college football picks. It also called Georgia (-27.5) covering against Tennessee and California (+21) easily staying well within the spread against Oregon last week. Anybody who has been following it is way up.
Now, it has simulated Appalachian State vs. Louisiana 10,000 times. We can tell you it's leaning under, and it also says one side of the spread cashes in almost 70 percent of simulations. That one is only available at SportsLine.
The model knows Louisiana ranks third in the nation with 314 rushing yards per game and has explosive running backs in Trey Ragas, who's averaging 9.8 yards per cary this season, and Elijah Mitchell, who has added 402 yards and nine touchdowns. Levi Lewis calls the shots for the offense, and he has passed for 980 yards and eight touchdowns. He usually calls on Jamal Bell and Ja'Marcus Bradley, who've combined for 43 receptions for 593 yards and four touchdowns.
Third-string running back Raymond Calais and Bradley anchor a dangerous kickoff return unit that averages 26.3 yards, which ranks 17th in the nation. The Ragin' Cajuns defense allows 21.4 points per game and is especially tough against the pass, giving up just 186.6 yards per game through the air. The defense is led by linebacker Jacques Boudreaux, who's recorded 33 tackles.
But just because the Ragin' Cajuns have one of the nation's top offenses doesn't mean they will cover the Appalachian State vs. Louisiana spread.
Appalachian State's rushing offense puts up an average of 224.5 yards per game behind a veteran offensive line. Evans, the Mountaineers' junior running back, has rushed for 471 yards, averaging 7.0 per carry, and is tied for fourth in the nation with 10 total touchdowns. Quarterback Zac Thomas has thrown for 802 yards and seven touchdowns
The Mountaineers also excel on special teams, ranking fourth in the nation with a 30.8-yard kick return average and seventh in punt returns at 17.9. The Mountaineers also have blocked three kicks, including a field goal on the final play of a 34-31 win against North Carolina on Sept. 21, somewhat reminiscent of the play that shocked No. 5 Michigan in 2007.
So who wins Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Appalachian State? And which side of the spread is hitting nearly 70 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the Louisiana vs. Appalachian State spread to back on Wednesday, all from the advanced model on a 68-42 run on top-rated college football picks.
