Newsletter

The National Football League (NFL) is easily the most popular sport in the United States, especially when it comes to betting. NFL betting puts up the biggest numbers every single year, and bettors are always looking for new betting options.

The NFL was founded all the way back in 1920 in Canton, Ohio, and that is where the Hall of Fame is located to this day. There were only a handful of teams in the league when it first started, but it didn’t take long for the league to grow.

There are now 32 teams in the NFL, and the league is broken up into two conferences and eight total divisions. Since the league just continues to be more and more popular, the league has added an extra regular season game for each team to play in.

NFL teams now play 17 total regular season games, and then the top seven teams in each conference advance to the postseason. The NFL regular season begins in September, and the Super Bowl is now played during the month of February.

When it comes to the NFL, the Super Bowl is the event that draws the most betting attention. This league isn’t going away anytime soon, and it’s actually started to become more of an international competition.

This article will not only cover the best NFL betting sites &amp; sportsbooks, but will also provide some tips on how to bet on the NFL.
<h3>Where to bet on NFL</h3>
Knowing where to find the best NFL sportsbooks is a big key if you want to have some success when wagering on this sport. Here are six of the best NFL sportsbooks to use, and all of them are going to be a little bit different.

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Best NFL Betting Sites & Sportsbooks

Seattle Seahawks vs Detroit Lions Betting Pick & Prediction 9/30/24

Tennessee Titans vs Miami Dolphins Betting Pick & Prediction 9/30/24

Buffalo Bills vs Baltimore Ravens Betting Pick & Prediction 9/29/24

Cleveland Browns vs Las Vegas Raiders Betting Pick & Prediction 9/29/24

Kansas City Chiefs vs Los Angeles Chargers Betting Pick & Prediction 9/29/24

New England Patriots vs San Francisco 49ers Betting Pick & Prediction 9/29/24

Washington Commanders vs Arizona Cardinals Betting Pick & Prediction 9/29/24

Philadelphia Eagles vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers Betting Pick & Prediction 9/29/24

Denver Broncos vs New York Jets Betting Pick & Prediction 9/29/24

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Indianapolis Colts Betting Pick & Prediction 9/29/24

BetDSI

Bookmaker

Bet US

BetOnline

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This isn’t quite a David vs. Goliath matchup, but there are a lot of people that like a healthy Colorado Avalanche team to win it all this postseason. The Arizona Coyotes are hoping that will not be the case and that they can pull the first round upset, but they are the underdog with the second-longest odds on the board to advance.

Stranger things have certainly happened and the Coyotes played very well in advancing past the higher-seeded Nashville Predators, but they do have a real uphill battle in this series.
<h3>Series Schedule</h3>
Wednesday, Aug. 12, 5:30 p.m.: Coyotes @ Avalanche

Friday, Aug. 14, 2 p.m.:  Coyotes @ Avalanche

Saturday, Aug. 15, 3 p.m.: Avalanche @ Coyotes

Monday, Aug. 17, 5:30 p.m.: Avalanche @ Coyotes

*Wednesday, Aug. 19, TBD: Coyotes @ Avalanche

*Friday, Aug. 21, TBD: Avalanche @ Coyotes

*Sunday, Aug. 23, TBD: Coyotes @ Avalanche

There are a lot of afternoon starts in this series given that it will be played in Edmonton, but these teams in the bubble don’t have the same concept of time as they would during a traditional postseason. It is interesting that Game 2 and Game 3 are a back-to-back, but these teams have been instructed to expect the unexpected with game times and whatnot in these playoffs anyways.

Series Odds from <a href="http://bangthebook.com/sportsbooks/betonline">BetOnline Sportsbook</a>

Arizona Coyotes +245

Colorado Avalanche -290
<h3>Arizona Coyotes</h3>
Arizona scored 10 goals 5-v-5 against Nashville in the first round. They’ll face a Colorado team that was +47 in 5-v-5 goal differential here in the first round. Arizona was a stingy defensive team at even strength during the regular season, but a lack of offense was one of their biggest problems over the course of the year.

Arizona only scored 128 goals 5-v-5. That isn’t necessarily a death blow. After all, they advanced to this round. Dallas and Columbus, who both scored fewer 5-v-5 goals than Arizona, are also in this round. Dallas was even one of the top four seeds. It just means that the Coyotes have a smaller margin for error than some of the other teams in the first round. They’ll have to rely heavily on Darcy Kuemper to make saves and also cash in on their offensive opportunities.

The concern for Arizona is that their Qualifying Round win may have been solely about the goaltending. The Predators got an 82.22% SV% on scoring chances. Arizona got a 91.23% SV%. The Predators had 103 scoring chances to Arizona’s 82 in the series, but the Coyotes cashed in on their chances and Nashville did not. Against a better team like Colorado, Kuemper’s importance is magnified that much because the Coyotes are likely to get beaten even more soundly in some of the advanced metrics.

Kuemper was great in the regular season. He posted a .928 SV% with a 2.22 GAA. He had a 16.65 goals saved above average mark. Goaltending was going to be the big gap in that series against the Predators and it came to fruition. Kuemper had an excellent regular season and he’ll have to be outstanding here, otherwise this could be a quick series.
<h3>Colorado Avalanche</h3>
The Avalanche battled all sorts of injuries throughout the season, as guys like Cale Makar and Mikko Rantanen missed some games. Gabriel Landeskog also missed 16 games. A full-strength Colorado team is one of the most dangerous in the NHL. They made some savvy moves at the Trade Deadline to infuse some more depth and talent into the roster.

Also, Jared Bednar can flat out coach. Bednar was the bench boss when the Lake Erie Monsters won the Calder Cup back in 2016. Bednar has also done a fabulous job taking a bottom-feeder Avalanche team and elevating it to where they are now. Colorado ranked fifth in Scoring Chances For%, as they ranked sixth in scoring chances for and eighth in scoring chances against. They didn’t get enough high-danger chances in the regular season, but they were also doing a lot of line shuffling.

Colorado’s power play could have been better and the two teams graded out pretty evenly in special teams. The Avs could also have some questions in net. Philipp Grubauer played well during the regular season, but Pavel Francouz was better. Francouz also had a shutout in his only Round Robin game. Grubauer will get the first crack, but he was replaced two years ago by Braden Holtby for Washington’s Stanley Cup run when he struggled. He has some playoff questions to answer.

Grubauer had a .916 SV% and a 2.63 GAA with a 6.48 GSAA mark. Francouz was .923 and 2.41 with a 13.06 GSAA. If Grubauer struggles early, will Bednar pull the plug? We know Kuemper is reliable and so is backup Antti Raanta for Arizona.
<h3>Series Prediction</h3>
Colorado in 5.

The Avalanche are just too good of a team at full strength. Nashville had all sorts of chances against Kuemper and the Coyotes, but just couldn’t finish them. If Nashville, a marginal offensive team during the regular season, had that much success against Arizona’s defense, what are the Avs going to do?

Colorado allowed the third-fewest 5-v-5 goals during the regular season and Arizona was seventh, so maybe this winds up being a lower-scoring series for those that are looking to bet some totals.
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Arizona Coyotes vs. Colorado Avalanche Series Odds, Pick, & Prediction

One important part of handicapping involves whether one team or the other really wants to be in a bowl game. Several factors come in play, including the idea that wherever they might be could be a "comedown" from what they are used to experiencing.

Such might be the case for the Pinstripe Bowl, which is scheduled to kick off at 3:20 PM ET at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Yeah, I guess you never thought that someone would say it's a downer to play in the "House That Ruth Built," but the Michigan State Spartans were probably thinking about a New Year's Six game at the outset of the season. Well, here they are at 6-6 (3-9 vs. the spread) and lucky to go bowling at all.

And they'll oppose the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, who have won their lower-tier bowl games three seasons in a row. They have spent time in the nation's top 20 and perhaps have the better quarterback.

That's would make them an easy choice, right? Well, let's see.

In the college football betting odds on this Pinstripe Bowl, complete with reduced juice, from our friends at <a href="http://betanysports.eu/btb50/">BetAnySports</a>, Michigan State is the favorite:

Michigan State Spartans -4.5 (-105)
Wake Forest Demon Deacons +4.5 (-105)

Over 49 points -110 (-102)
Under 49 points -110 (-108)

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Michigan State found itself in the precarious position of having to beat Maryland in the final regular season game just to qualify for a bowl. But they barely got by the pathetic Terps 19-16, and let's not forget, that was a team that had just been beaten by a combined 165-28 by Nebraska, Ohio State and Michigan.

Brian Lewerke was merely adequate in a conference where it takes more than that, completing 58.6% for 6.9 yards an attempt and a 16-12 touchdown-INT ratio. But the rushing game averaged only 123 yards, and the offense ranked outside the nation's top 100. There's nothing exciting here, and the frustrating part is Dantonio's inability (unwillingness?) to bring a more dynamic offensive coordinator into the fold.

The defense gives Michigan State a shot to stay in most games, however. Overall, they rank 15th in the nation. They are experienced (seven seniors) and with the likes of Kenny Willekes, Joe Bachie and Anjuan Simmons in the front seven, enemy ground games averaged just 3.3 yards a carry.

Wake Forest got off to a 5-0 start, and that might have been able to expand to 8-0 if not for a thrilling 62-59 loss to Louisville, in which the teams combined for 45 points in the fourth quarter. They had made their presence known in the national rankings. But then they were beaten three of four coming into the clubhouse, including a strange nine-point overtime loss to Syracuse, in which the Orange kicked an OT field goal and then returned a fumble for a TD.

The Deacons come into the game with the nation's 12th-ranked offense, and a lot of that depended on the Jamie Newman-Sage Surratt combination. Newman, a junior, threw for 2693 yards and 23 TD's, rushing for 487 yards and six scores. He is more dynamic than his Michigan State counterpart. Surratt emerged as one of the top receivers in the ACC and perhaps the country, with 66 catches for 1001 yards and eleven TD's. But he went down for the season in the Virginia Tech game with a shoulder injury. Scotty Washington, the second-leading receiver, is down with an ankle injury and is questionable.

Including the game where Wake lost Surratt, Newman's numbers have dropped. He's gone 42 of 87 with one touchdown and three INT's.

This is not a terrifically balanced offense; they throw the ball almost 55% of the time, and in this RPO-based attack, Newman has more rushing attempts than anyone else. That's why the leg injury that makes Newman officially "questionable" for this one is also a big concern.

Michigan State found a way to score points against some bowl teams, like Illinois (34 points), Indiana (40) and Western Michigan (51). But they were handled rather easily against the upper-tier squads in the Big Ten, like Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan, who beat them by a combined 144-27 margin. But this Wake Forest team, minus receivers, with a limited running game and a defense that ranks in the lower half of the country (79th) isn't on that level.

Also, for what it's worth, their only two games on natural turf resulted in losses - 36-17 to Virginia Tech and 52-3 to Clemson.

Yes, it would be worrisome to us that Dave Clawson has won his three bowl games at Wake Forest, while Michigan State may or may not want to be in this bowl. But it's hard for us to make a fundamental case for taking the points at this time (although that may change, depending on the status of Newman and Washington).

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Pinstripe Bowl Odds, Pick, & Prediction: Michigan State vs. Wake Forest

SECN will be covering this week nine college football matchup between the Texas Longhorns and Vanderbilt Commodores, set to kick off at 4:15 ET from FirstBank Stadium in Nashville. The Longhorns are heavy favorites at -18.5 points, with the over/under line currently at 53.5 points. Texas comes in with a 6-1 record, while Vanderbilt is 5-2 on the season.<h3>TEXAS LONGHORNS VS VANDERBILT COMMODORES BETTING PICK</h3>The Pick: Vanderbilt Commodores +18.5This game will be played at FirstBank Stadium at 4:15 ET on Saturday, October 26th.<h3>WHY BET THE VANDERBILT COMMODORES:</h3><ul><li>We have the Texas Longhorns winning this one by a score of 31 to 17</li><li>Even though we like the Texas Longhorns to win, our ATS pick is to take the Vanderbilt Commodores at +18.5</li><li>We see this game finishing below the line of 53.5 points</li></ul><h3>Will The Texas Longhorns Win As Road Favorites?</h3>Texas enters Week 9 with a 6-1 record, ranked 2nd in our power rankings. They have a 100% chance of becoming bowl-eligible and a 34% chance of winning the Southeastern. The Longhorns have the 4th best odds of making the playoff at 78.9% and lead the nation with a 29.4% chance of reaching the national championship game. The Longhorns have been favored in all seven games this season, going 6-1 and posting an average scoring margin of +29.4 points per game. Against the spread, Texas is 5-2, with a 3-2 record at home and a perfect 2-0 mark on the road. Texas games have averaged 48.9 points, with an over/under record of 3-4. This week’s line is set at 53.5 points, just below their average line of 54 points for the season.Texas has leaned on their passing game this season, ranking 15th in passing yards per game with 295.6 and completing 23.4 passes per game. They are also 12th in completion percentage, connecting on 68% of their attempts. Overall, they are 17th in scoring, averaging 39.1 points per game, and we have them 18th in our offensive power rankings heading into week 9. Quinn Ewers leads the Longhorns with 1,101 passing yards and a 68.2% completion rate. He has thrown 11 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, giving him a passer rating of 102. Isaiah Bond is the leading receiver with 380 yards and 4 touchdowns on 23 catches. Texas is averaging 166.6 rushing yards per game.Despite a 30-15 loss to Georgia, Texas's defense allowed just 285 total yards, including 110 rushing yards on 28 carries and 175 passing yards. They also forced three interceptions, although they gave up three rushing touchdowns. On the season, Texas ranks second nationally, allowing just 9.7 points per game. They are fifth in passing yards allowed (132.7) and 27th in rushing yards allowed (106.7).<h3>Are The Vanderbilt Commodores Going Win In At Upset At FirstBank Stadium</h3>Vanderbilt enters Week 9 against Texas with a 5-2 record, ranked 42nd in our power rankings. They have a 76.5% chance of becoming bowl-eligible but only a 0.1% chance of winning the Southeastern. At home, the Commodores are 2-0 this season. Vanderbilt’s average scoring margin is +11, and they are 2-2 against the spread. As favorites, they are 0-2 ATS, but they’ve gone 2-0 ATS as underdogs. The over/under line for this week is 53.5 points. Vanderbilt’s games have averaged 55.3 points, with an average over/under line of 50.1 points this season.Vanderbilt’s offense is averaging 33.1 points per game, ranking 30th in the nation, and they are 20th in our offensive power rankings heading into week 9. Their strength lies in their third-down efficiency, converting 52.1% of their attempts, which is 8th best in the country. They also have the 10th best passer rating nationally. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt’s quarterback, has a passer rating of 116, completing 66.2% of his throws for 1,391 yards, 11 touchdowns, and just one interception. On the ground, Vanderbilt averages 163.4 rushing yards per game. Sedrick Alexander leads the team with 380 rushing yards and five touchdowns.Vanderbilt's defense is ranked 40th nationally, allowing 22.1 points per game. They’ve given up 215.1 passing yards per game, ranking 87th, with a 63.6% completion rate allowed. Opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of 85.7 against Vanderbilt, which ranks 81st. In their recent game against Ball State, Vanderbilt’s defense allowed 14 points and 268 total yards. They gave up 78 rushing yards on 22 attempts and 190 passing yards.

Texas Longhorns vs Vanderbilt Commodores Betting Pick & Prediction 10/26/24

The MLB betting action goes on with a full 15-game Saturday card, so we are taking a closer look at the American League showdown from T-Mobile Park in Seattle to get you the best Royals vs. Mariners betting pick and odds.&nbsp;



Kansas City and Seattle continue a three-game series with the middle contest, and the Mariners open as -135 home favorites. The Royals are +125 moneyline underdogs, while the totals are listed at 7.5 runs on <a href="https://www.bangthebook.com/sportsbooks/betonline/">BetOnline Sportsbook</a>.



<h2>The Crowns hope for better days at the plate                         </h2>



The Kansas City Royals entered the Mariners series with a 5-6 record. They were coming off a victory in a three-game home series against the Minnesota Twins. After winning the first two contests 4-3 and 2-0, the Royals suffered a 1-0 defeat in the closer last Thursday.



The Crowns have scored only 31 runs in their first 11 games of the season. Their offense has been pretty much terrible, posting a .206/.259/.321 slash line to go with eight home runs and just 13 extra-base hits. On the pitching side of things, Kansas City has recorded a 4.09 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, and .255 batting average against.



Kris Bubic will toe the slab Saturday, looking to bounce back from a couple of rough starts. The 24-year-old left-hander took a loss in his season debut, yielding five earned runs while getting a couple of outs. He pitched 4.1 frames of a one-run ball in a no-decision against the Tigers last Saturday but issued a whopping six walks. Bubic is 1-0 with a pedestrian 5.06 ERA in a couple of career starts against Seattle.



<h2>The Mariners snapped their win streak in a shootout loss to Texas </h2>



After beating the Houston Astros in a three-game home series, the Seattle Mariners blew a chance to sweep the Texas Rangers in a three-game set at T-Mobile Park. The Mariners also failed to extend their winning streak to four games, suffering an 8-6 defeat to the Rangers this past Thursday. They fell to 7-6 on the season, while Drew Steckenrider recorded his first loss in 2022.



Steckenrider yielded a couple of runs in the top of the ninth, raising the Mariners’ ERA to 2.95. Seattle’s pitching staff has done a great job so far this term, and the Mariners’ bullpen owns a shiny 2.55 ERA and 2.77 FIP.



Rookie Matt Brash will get the starting call Saturday, his third in the season. The 23-year-old righty is 1-1 with a 3.38 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. He’s registered an 11/7 K/BB ratio across 10.2 frames of work.



<h2>Trends:</h2>



Kansas City:



<ul><li>3-6 in the last nine games overall&nbsp;</li><li>1-4 in the last five games against the AL West</li></ul>



Seattle:



<ul><li>5-2 in the last seven games overall&nbsp;</li><li>13-6 in the last 19 games against the Royals&nbsp;</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-kansas-city-royals-vs-seattle-mariners-pick">Kansas City Royals vs. Seattle Mariners Pick</h2>



The Mariners slugged a pair of homers off Taylor Hearn last Thursday. They should be ready for another left-hander when Kris Bubic comes to town, and the current M’s boast a .306/.402/.517 triple-slash in 40 plate appearances against the Royals’ lefty.



On paper, the Mariners are a better offensive team than the slumping Royals. Seattle ranks 12th in the majors in OPS (.709). However, Matt Brash is a wild-card, and his control issues could cost the Mariners a lot. At least, Seattle owns plenty of dangerous arms in its ‘pen.



Pick: Take Seattle Mariners at -135&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



The Total:



The Royals’ last six games have produced seven or fewer runs in the total. I’ve mentioned how good the Mariners’ bullpen has been so far, and the Royals’ relievers have done a good job, too. They own a 3.88 ERA and a sparkly 2.54 FIP.



However, I don’t trust the starting pitchers in this matchup. Both Bubic and Brash struggle with control and could easily issue a ton of free passes. It’s a tricky wager, but I have to take the over.



Pick: Go over 7.5 runs at -105&nbsp;

Kansas City Royals vs. Seattle Mariners Odds, Pick, Prediction 4/23/22

The Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals played a tight one on Monday that resulted in a 2-1 decision for the Phillies. Let’s see what Tuesday’s game has in store as Zach Eflin and Carlos Martinez take the mound for their respective teams.

Betting action has been rather balanced for this game, as it is lined in the “money line pick ‘em” range, where both sides are priced evenly at most sportsbooks. BetMGM <a href="http://bangthebook.com/sportsbooks/us/">Sportsbook</a> is showing -110 on both sides of this one with a total of 8.5 at Busch Stadium, one of the ballparks that added a humidor for this season.

Both teams come into this one with identical 11-11 records, so the victor will get the spoils of being over .500 for at least a day.

Philadelphia Phillies

Zach Eflin makes his fifth start of the season for the Phillies in this one. The right-hander has had a pretty good three-year run with Philadelphia and is hoping to build upon that with a strong full-season performance this year. He worked 59 innings last season with a 3.97 ERA and a 3.39 FIP that culminated in a big K% increase.

This season, we haven’t seen the K% increase carry over, but we have seen excellent control and good command from Eflin in his four starts covering 26 innings. He’s allowed eight runs on 24 hits with a 19/2 K/BB ratio. In this day and age, with advanced scouting reports for fielding and additional drag on the baseball to knock down potentially hurtful fly balls, pitchers that limit walks should have large amounts of success.

It would benefit Eflin to stop allowing hard contact, though. His Hard Hit% sits at 47.4%, which means that over 47% of batted balls have left the bat at 95+ mph. The higher the exit velocity, the better a hitter’s chances of a favorable outcome. Eflin is fortunate to have a .247 batting average against in light of that stat.

The Phillies offense could be doing better with fewer strikeouts. In a depressed offensive environment, Philadelphia ranks 11th in wOBA on the season, but also has the sixth-highest K%. If the Phillies were pairing their high strikeout rate with a high walk rate, that would be more tolerable, but they are not, so this is a team that absolutely has to start making more contact.

Zack Wheeler’s heroic efforts on Monday spared the bullpen for the most part. Hector Neris was called to action for the third time in four days, so he’s likely unavailable today, but picked up the save on 11 pitches. Everybody else had the day off, so the Phillies pen beyond Eflin should have all hands on deck but the two that belong to Neris.

St. Louis Cardinals

Carlos Martinez is off to a rough start this season. The starter-turned-reliever-turned-starter is back in the rotation full-time and has picked up the loss in each of his four starts. He’s allowed 14 runs on 21 hits in 21 innings of work. The biggest red flag for Martinez to this point has been a low strikeout rate with only 13 punchouts in his 21 innings. He is coming off of his best start of the season against Washington with one run allowed on four hits over six innings, but that was a Nationals lineup missing Juan Soto.

Martinez has already surpassed his 2020 innings total. He was one of the Cardinals afflicted with COVID-19 and never really got into the flow of the season. He allowed 26 runs in 20 innings last year across five starts. For his career, Martinez has a 3.61 ERA with a .245/.321/.372 slash against as a starter and a 3.37 ERA with a .237/.317/.310 slash against as a starter. The question is whether or not he can return to the form that allowed him to post those numbers.

The St. Louis offense ranks in the bottom third of the league in wOBA at .297. Poor contact quality has been a major factor. Paul Goldschmidt is off to a rough start with a .230/.272/.333 slash in his 92 plate appearances. Nolan Arenado has been about a league average bat. Youngster Dylan Carlson and the resurgent Yadier Molina have done a lot of heavy lifting for the Cardinals to this point. There are track records on offense for a lot of these guys, but it seems to be taking some time to get going.

One saving grace on an annual basis for the Cardinals is their defense. The Phillies are a poor defensive team and have been for a while, so batted ball luck and plays converted into outs could be on the St. Louis side in this game and future matchups. St. Louis ranks seventh in Defensive Runs Saved right now and a large part of the position player fWAR comes from that side of the spectrum.

These two bullpens have some stats that point in opposite directions. The Cardinals have a 3.99 ERA with a 4.10 FIP and a 5.00 xFIP. The Phillies pen has a 5.24 ERA with a 4.83 FIP and a 3.97 xFIP. The main difference here is that the Phillies pen has allowed a lot of home runs, while the Cardinals pen has not.

Phillies vs. Cardinals Pick

Zach Eflin sure seems to have a higher ceiling than Carlos Martinez given the current and recent form of both hurlers, even though Martinez made some adjustments in his last start. The Phillies boast the better lineup, though the Cardinals have the better bullpen. That sounds like a recipe for a game lined -110 both ways.

Between Eflin’s more promising outlook and Philadelphia’s better lineup, we can take some of the late-game shenanigans out of the mix and just take Philadelphia for the 1st 5 innings. If that isn’t an option for you, the full game is fine, but the 1st 5 seems like a safer bet.

<a href="http://bangthebook.com/mlb/">Pick</a>: Philadelphia Phillies 1st 5

Philadelphia Phillies vs St. Louis Cardinals Odds & Betting Pick

Week 7 of the 2021 college football season kicks off Tuesday, October 12, with the Sun Belt Conference showdown from Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana, so here’s the best Appalachian State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette betting pick.&nbsp;



The Mountaineers visit the Ragin’ Cajuns for the first time since 2019. App State has won eight of its previous nine meetings with Louisiana, and the Mountaineers opened as slight 3-point favorites for Tuesday’s clash. The totals are listed at 55.5 points on <a href="https://www.bangthebook.com/sportsbooks/betonline/">BetOnline Sportsbook</a>.&nbsp;



<h2>App State eyes its second straight road win</h2>



The Appalachian State Mountaineers (4-1; 3-2 ATS) are coming off a bye, looking to extend their winning streak to four games. After a tough 25-23 defeat at No. 22 Miami in Week 2, the Mountaineers have defeated Elon 44-10, Marshall 31-30, and Georgia State 45-16.



App State dominated the Georgia State Panthers in Week 5 and easily covered a 10-point spread on the road. The Mountaineers racked up 502 total yards and yielded 380 in a return while forcing three turnovers. Chase Brice completed 20 of his 28 passing attempts for 326 yards and three touchdowns, so senior QB now has 1,360 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions on the season.



The Mountaineers are tallying 35.2 points per game (tied-30th in the country) on 197.2 rushing yards (tied-35th) and 284.2 passing yards (27th). They are yielding 20.0 points in a return (tied-30th) on 117.6 rushing yards (35th) and 247.2 passing yards (89th).



<h2>Louisiana-Lafayette looks for its fifth win in a row&nbsp;</h2>



As well as their next rivals, the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (4-1; 1-4 ATS) are coming off a bye. After a 38-18 loss at No. 21 Texas in the opening game of the season, the Ragin’ Cajuns have recorded four straight wins, outlasting Nicholls 27-24, Ohio 49-14, Georgia Southern 28-20, and South Alabama 20-18.



Back in Week 5, the Ragin’ Cajuns narrowly defeated the South Alabama Jaguars as 12-point road favorites. They nearly blew a 20-point lead, failing to score in the second half and finishing with only 283 total yards. Senior QB Levi Lewis completed nine of his 20 pass attempts for 49 yards, while freshman RB Emani Bailey led the way with seven carries for 81 yards and a TD.



The Ragin’ Cajuns are scoring 28.4 points per contest (70th in the country) on 166.0 rushing yards (tied-65th) and 229.0 passing yards (71st). They are surrendering 22.8 points in a return (tied-50th) on 171.2 rushing yards (91st) and 236.0 passing yards (78th).



Trends:



App State:



<ul><li>4-1 ATS in the last five outings in Week 7</li><li>4-2 ATS in the last six games overall</li></ul>



Louisiana Lafayette:



<ul><li>1-5 ATS in the last six games overall</li><li>1-4 ATS in the last five games against the Sun Belt East</li></ul>



<h2 id="h-appalachian-state-vs-louisiana-lafayette-pick">Appalachian State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Pick</h2>



Both teams have played in excellent form over the last two years. The Ragin’ Cajuns have dropped only one of their last 12 games overall. On the other side, the Mountaineers are 12-3 straight up over their previous 15 outings at any location.



App State looks like a better offensive team in this matchup, so I’m backing the Mountaineers to win and cover a 3-point spread. Also, the Mountaineers’ run D has done a good job so far this season and should be able to slow down the Ragin’ Cajuns on the road. We should see a hard-fought battle, as four of the last five encounters between App State and Louisiana-Lafayette were decided by ten or fewer points.



Pick: Take Appalachian State -3.0 at -110&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;



The Total:



The under has hit in seven of the last nine meetings between these two schools, and it is 4-1 in their previous five encounters. Four of their last five dates produced fewer than 50 points in total, and I’m expecting more of the same Tuesday at Cajun Field.



Over their last four showings, both App State and Louisiana-Lafayette have held their opponents below 26 points.



Pick: Go under 55.5 points at -110

Appalachian State vs. Louisiana-Lafayette Odds, Pick, Prediction 10/12/21

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