The 2025-26 College Football bowl schedule rolls on Monday. At 2 p.m. EST, the Georgia Southern Eagles and the Appalachian State Mountaineers meet in the JLab Birmingham Bowl at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama. The game is available to view or stream on ESPN.
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Monday’s Best Bowl Game Picks & Predictions
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Georgia Southern Eagles (-330) vs. Appalachian State Mountaineers (+265) | O/U 59.5 (-105/-115)
The Eagles (6-6) and the Mountaineers (5-7) meet for the second time this season.
These Sun Belt Conference rivals meet in Birmingham, and Georgia Southern is looking to beat the same team in the regular season and in a bowl game. Georgia Southern won 25-23 on Nov. 6 in Boone as a 5-point underdogs while the Under (61.5) cashed.
In that regular season win, Georgia Southern posted 142 rushing yards, 352 passing yards, and 25 first downs, while App State had 348 passing yards, 77 rushing yards, and 23 first downs.
Eagles QB JC French IV completed 25-of-37 passes for 352 yards, 1 TD, and 0 INT, while also rushing for a score. RB OJ Arnold had a team-high 105 yards, so he would be excited to face the Mountaineers again. However, he is questionable due to an injury. App State also has trouble because of the transfer portal, as top QBs AJ Swann and JJ Kohl are heading for the portal, and not expected to play in this postseason tilt.
It’s a wonder App State is in the bowl game, as it has a losing record. However, with so many teams opting out of bowls, there were more than enough spots, and the invites trickled down to 5-win teams. Head coach Dowell Loggains gladly accepted the bid, giving his team more weeks of practice, and his seniors one more game to get it right.
Appalachian State dropped five of six games, while going 2-3-1 against the spread (ATS) in the span. That includes the 25-23 loss in Boone to the Eagles.
Georgia Southern won the finale 24-19 at Marshall as a 10-point underdog to officially qualify for bowl eligibility, and it is 3-1 SU in the past four games, while also going 3-1 ATS in the span. The Under has cashed in four of the past five games, too.
For the Birmingham Bowl, our best bet is to go with Georgia Southern laying the points, as it should get the job done by double digits, and the Under is the play, based on Georgia Southern’s trends, and the fact Appalachian State will be playing its third-string QB. In fact, while the side bet is OK, I’d go quite aggressively on the Under.
Picks: Georgia Southern -8.5 (-110) & Under 59.5 Points (-115)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe