Georgia Southern vs. Appalachian State Picks and Predictions: Birmingham Bowl
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Mon Dec 29, 2025, 9:55 am ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
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We normally don't get any conference matchups during bowl season, but the college football postseason is not like it used to be. With opt outs, injuries, transfers, coaching changes and so many more factors, several entire teams completely declined an invite to a bowl game. Therefore, those spots still need to be filled, and we end up with a Sun Belt rematch in the Birmingham Bowl on Monday afternoon. The Georgia Southern Eagles take on the Appalachian State Mountaineers in this contest today. Let's get into our favorite picks.
Best Bet: Georgia Southern/Appalachian State Over 59 (-113) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Go check out what else I've got on the slate for bowl season, and view the latest odds at the best online sportsbooks.
Georgia Southern Eagles vs. Appalachian State Mountaineers Birmingham Bowl Insights
AJ Swann and JJ Kohl have both opted out of this bowl game for the Mountaineers
The Georgia Southern Eagles finished 6-6 on the season and 4-4 in Sun Belt play. They built some momentum towards the end of the season, winning three of their last four, including beating this Mountaineers team in early November 25-23 on the road. The Mountaineers finished 5-7 overall, but just 2-6 in conference games. After starting off 4-2, they lost five of their last six down the stretch, but still got the bowl game invite with a losing record.
Let's talk opt outs. For Georgia Southern, no one. They do have a few injuries, including running back OJ Arnold and wide out Dalen Cobb. The two combined for over 1,600 scrimmage yards and nine touchdowns. They have guys that can step up, plus QB JC French IV has quite the arm. As for the Mountaineers, their roster has more holes to fill.
From what I can tell, they will be on their third string quarterback, as AJ Swann and JJ Kohl have both hit the portal and opted out of this game. Appalachian State will likely also miss their leading tackler and starting safety DJ Burks, wideouts Davion Dozier and Jaden Barnes, corner back Elijah Mc-Cantos and defensive tackle Rondo Porter. Can they figure out a way to win?
Matchup Information – Georgia Southern vs. Appalachian State – December 29
- Venue & Location: Protective Stadium (Birmingham, AL)
- Date: Monday, December 29, 2025
- Kick Off: 2:00 p.m. Eastern
- Broadcast: ESPN
Georgia Southern vs. Appalachian State Betting Odds
Odds are courtesy of Lucky Rebel Sportsbook, one of our favorite online sportsbooks, as of December 29, 2025 at 9:21 a.m. eastern. Sign up today and get a $1,250 deposit bonus & 50 slot spins right away. Lucky Rebel offers a wide variety of unique markets across nearly every sport imaginable.
Spread
- Georgia Southern -9.5 (-108)
- Appalachian State +9.5 (-112)
Moneyline
- Georgia Southern -335
- Appalachian State +260
Total
- Over 59 (-113)
- Under 59 (-107)
Do we trust the Mountaineers with a freshman quarterback against a conference opponent? Not really. The Eagles were 5.5 point underdogs on the road during thee regular season, and are now favored by 9.5 on a neutral site in this bowl game. Could that be a telling line?
Georgia Southern vs. Appalachian State Birmingham Bowl Picks and Predictions
JC French has over 2,700 passing yards for the Eagles this season
Georgia Southern vs. Appalachian State Prediction: Georgia Southern Wins and Covers, Over 59
Best Bet: Georgia Southern/Appalachian State Over 59 (-113) Lucky Rebel Sportsbook
Georgia Southern is 4-0 against the spread this season as a favorite. Overall they were just 7-5. App State went just 5-7 against the spread, covering two of four times as an underdog, but only once in three games as a multi possession underdogs. Do we think they can keep this one close? Short answer… no.
But I'll stick with the total. Both of these defenses suck, and both offenses are pretty pass happy. I think we see some back and forth in this one. Who doesn't want to root for points on a Monday afternoon?
Both defenses are north of 100 (bottom 35) in points and yards allowed per game, with the Eagles ranking bottom 10 in points and dead last in yards. They are also both north of 115 (bottom 20) in third down conversions allowed, with Georgia Southern ranking third worst in the country. Offensively, the Eagles pass the ball 51% of the time, while the Mountaineers do so over 57% of the time, ranking top 10 in the nation.
Neither is super duper efficient at moving the ball, but both secondaries can't stop anyone. The Eagles are north of 100 in opponent completion percentage, yards per pass and passing yards per game allowed, and are dead last at getting to the QB. Appalachian State comes in ranked No. 83 in opponent completion percentage, No. 95 in yards per pass allowed, bottom five in passing yards allowed per game and are north of 100 at sacking the QB.
Look for this to be an ugly, but high scoring, conference rematch.
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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