– Last Updated on July 25, 2018 10:36 am
2018 Football Preview – Sun Belt – Mountaineers
Looking for 2018 Appalachian State Mountaineers predictions? The Mountaineers enter the 2018 season as back-to-back Sun Belt champions and ready to compete for their third straight. They currently sit in the top spot in the conference to win another title at +120, with Arkansas State and Troy both behind them at +350 and then Georgia Southern a distant fourth at +1400.
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2018-18 College Football Preview – Appalachian State Mountaineers
Head Coach: Scott Satterfield
2017 Record: 9-4
Appalachian State Mountaineers Odds to win the 2018 FBS Championship: N/A
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Appalachian State will be neck and neck with Troy for an East Division championship.
2018 Appalachian State Mountaineers Predictions: Team Strengths
Reliability at running back: Jalin Moore is entering his senior season, and it’s going to be his most important year yet. Following the departure of quarterback Taylor Lamb, Moore will be tasked with taking on as much responsibility as he’s ever seen at the collegiate level.
Luckily for Appalachian State, the incumbent tailback is ready. He was the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year in 2016 and he’ll have steady support with Marcus Williams coming off a 500-yard sophomore season.
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Secondary: The Mountaineers’ defense struggled early in the 2017 season, but a strong secondary should help them carry forward the momentum they gained late in the year.
The team is going to need this group to anchor the D considering it’s working with a new coordinator in 2018. It also lost a number of starters and top-level contributors on that side of the ball.
Letting the secondary set the tone will allow for someone like linebacker Anthony Flory to step into a bigger role as a senior than he’s used to with less pressure attached.
2018 Appalachian State Mountaineers Predictions: Team Weaknesses
(Not so) Special teams: This is maybe a bit harsh to consider special teams a weakness for the Mountaineers considering they found a way to right the ship, but the team did start the year just 9-of-15 in field-goal attempts in 2017.
If the team can carry forward the momentum it gained when Chandler Staton stepped in and went 8-of-9, this concern will disappear.
But we need to see it happen before we give them the benefit of the doubt.
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Appalachian State Mountaineers Prediction: 9-3
The Appalachian State Mountaineers could win anything from 7 to 10 games and nobody should be too surprised. Eight may honestly be the most realistic number, but the truth is that the defense should be better and find a seamless transition to a new coordinator considering he’s already been around the program for many years.
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If the defense truly does avoid skipping a beat and the new quarterback situation can lean on a star tailback like Moore, nine or 10 wins becomes a very reasonable goal.
Like we said in the beginning, the race for the East title is going to be a tight one between the Mountaineers and Troy. But if Appalachian State can exceed eight victories, there’s a very good chance they’re the ones taking home the title and competing for a Sun Belt Championship when the 2018 college football season comes to a close.
2018 Appalachian State Mountaineers Football Schedule
- 9/1/18 3:30 PM ET @PSU
- 9/8/18 TBD @CHAR
- 9/15/18 3:30 PM ET SOMIS
- 9/22/18 TBD WEBB
- 9/29/18 TBD USA
- 10/9/18 8:00 PM ET @ARST
- 10/20/18 TBD ULL
- 10/25/18 TBD @GASO
- 11/3/18 TBD @CCAR
- 11/10/18 TBD @TXST
- 11/17/18 TBD GSU
- 11/24/18 TBD TROY
What do you think about our 2018 Appalachian State Mountaineers predictions? Please leave us a comment below telling us how you think they’ll do in 2018!
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