This is probably my favorite bowl game of this season. It puts two of my favorite mid-major teams to watch outside of Ohio State. UAB (a Student Union favorite) saw one of their best seasons since the football program was returned back to the university. App State has seen quite a bit of success here recently, the only problem is if they keep winning, surely they cannot stay this consistent with the success they are having.

How They Got Here: App St

Going 12-1 always means for a tremendous season, and that applies here. The Mountaineers have won 53/65 games since the 2015 season. That is a win percentage of just under 82% for FIVE years of football. They only know how to win, and that was proven once again this year after their only loss was to Georgia Southern. Outside of that game, they have only had three games within one touchdown, one of those games being North Carolina.

How They Got Here: UAB

One would have thought that their back to back losses to Tennessee (30-7) and Southern Miss (37-2) their season would have been over. It is really amazing the fact that this team has achieved the season that they have. Knowing that the school isn’t hesitant to get rid of a struggling program, to go 9-4 and play for your conference championship is very important for where you want your program to go.

Players to Watch: App St

Darrynton Evans is extremely important for what the Mountaineers do. They average about 200 yards in the air, but they also average almost 230 on the ground. This season he has averaged a hair above 5.5 yards per carry, while also averaging 10.7 yards per reception in the air. He is remarkably important for this offense as he has been an important utility player. He has racked up 17 touchdowns on the ground while also bringing down 5 in the passing game. Look for him to have another big game tonight.

Players to Watch: UAB

For UAB it will be Austin Watkins Jr. This year alone he almost has 1,000 yards receiving, which is almost half of Tyler Johnston III’s passing yards for the season. It will be interesting the kind of blanket that he will have with App State’s coverage tonight. “For the Blazers, it will be important for them to get the ball to their playmakers if they want a chance to win this game.”-Booger probably.

Gambling Picks (App St -17, O/U 47)

Listen, App State is a VERY good team. They have had a couple of very good teams in the past few years. They average about 39 points a game themselves, so a 47 point spread seems pretty easy money right at the moment. The Blazers average about 23 points for and allows about 20 themselves so it seems like the over is pretty feasible for this game. However, I see it being a closer game then what the 17 points suggest.