Another week, and another vexing challenge for Miami - and those who like them as college football picks. After being hammered by national champion Alabama in its opener, The U now hosts a program that specializes in humbling college football’s elite.

Appalachian State comes to South Florida on the heels of a convincing victory over struggling East Carolina, and with a reputation for cutting down major conference opponents.

The Mountaineers have beaten North Carolina and South Carolina in recent years, and of course there was the historic victory at Michigan in 2007. Are the Hurricanes next on their list?

Odds are current as of publication. Betting sites may indicate odds changes closer to kickoff.

Appalachian State vs Miami Key Matchups

Chase Brice vs. Miami’s defense: Appalachian State quarterback Brice is a known entity to the Hurricanes, given that he played at ACC opponents Clemson and Duke before landing in Boone. Brice passed for 259 yards against the Pirates, but managed just 94 against Miami with Duke in 2020. How much will that familiarity help the Hurricanes?

Miami’s offensive line vs. App State’s pass rush: Miami rushed for just 88 yards in its 44-13 opening-week loss to Alabama. The Mountaineers aren’t the Tide, but they were constantly in East Carolina’s backfield last week and return many key players from the Sun Belt’s top defensive unit in 2020.

D’Eriq King vs. the expectations: The lopsided result against Alabama, where he was picked off twice and sacked four times, surely wasn’t the beginning King envisioned for his sixth (yes, sixth) college season. This is an alpha-male QB at the helm of a proud program, who suddenly heads into Miami’s home opener with something to prove.

5 Key Appalachian State vs Miami Stats

20: The average number of points Appalachian State’s defense allowed per game last season, and that was before the unit added a couple of Power 5 transfers from Wisconsin and Stanford. They gave up 19 to East Carolina last week.

15: The number of games since Miami last lost to a team from outside the Power 5, a 30-24 shocker at Florida International in November of 2019.

92: The percentage of time Appalachian State scored when in the red zone in 2020; the Mountaineers picked up where they left off against ECU, converting on both trips.

3-9: Appalachian State’s record against the spread last season, which included 1-1 against ranked opponents (ATS loss to Coastal Carolina, win against Louisiana).

3-6: Miami’s record against the spread in its last six games dating back to last season, including an ATS loss as a 19.5-point underdog last week against Alabama.

Appalachian State vs Miami Weather Forecast

Early forecasts call for a steamy Saturday night in South Florida, with temperatures still in the low 90s at kickoff, but little chance of rain. The boys from Boone may find the humidity a challenge, but otherwise the weather should have little impact on the game.

Appalachian State vs Miami Moneyline

Sportsbooks have Miami as the moneyline favorite at -355, with Appalachian State a +270 underdog.

While the Mountaineers have a very good team, they’re not Alabama, and the Hurricanes should regroup and win outright. Since moving up to FCS in 2014, Appalachian State is 0-7 outright against ranked opponents, with their notable upsets coming against lower-tier Power 5 foes.

And yet to college football betting aficionados, that Miami moneyline probably isn’t worth the time.

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Appalachian State vs Miami Point Spread

Now here’s where it gets more interesting, with Miami an 8.5-point favorite on betting sites. Not only are those sizeable college football odds against a team that won nine games last season, Appalachian State has covered in two of its four games against ranked Power 5 opponents dating back to 2016.

Asking the Mountaineers to win those types of games has proven tough. And yet it’s quite reasonable to think they can stay in them, based on the DNA of the program. That App State defense does its job, and Miami will have to work to put this away late, giving spread bettors a chance to capitalize. You can get +8.5 for App State at FanDuel .

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Appalachian State vs Miami Totals

The total is 53.5, according to betting apps, which might seem low. But unders dominated in Week 1, and we’d expect defenses to set the tone in this one, too. Miami has lots of personal experience against Brice, and knows his tendencies.

Appalachian State pits its tremendous defense against a Miami squad that struggles with protection. King should be better than he was in Week 1 and the Hurricanes should win, but the under is hard to resist given recent trends with both these teams and nationwide. You can get Under 54.5 at DraftKings .

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