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Last season, the Sun Belt Conference finished with Coastal Carolina and Louisiana-Lafayette as league co-champions, with Coastal winning the East Division and the Ragin’ Cajuns winning the West. However, the Conference Championship game was canceled. Coming into this season, PointsBet has Louisiana-Lafayette as a +125 favorite to win the conference with Coastal Carolina second at +200. Below are a few Sun Belt Regular Season Win Totals I will be wagering on.
Louisiana-Lafayette Regular Season Wins 9.5 Over (+105) Under (-125)
The Ragin’ Cajuns enter the 2021 season as the favorites to win the Sun Belt’s East Division and the overall Sun Belt championship. Head Coach Billy Napier’s team will be looking to win the conference for the first time with him at the helm. Louisiana-Lafayette is returning 20 of 22 starters from last season including quarterback Levi Lewis, who is 24-4 as the starting quarterback. The Ragin’ Cajuns open up with a tough road game in Austin against Texas. Other than that matchup, the only other time they will be an underdog is on the road vs. Liberty late in the season. Even though they are the favorites in 10 of their 12 games, there are spots on the schedule where they could struggle: road games vs. Arkansas State, Georgia Southern and Troy will be tough. They could also have problems at home with Appalachian State. PointsBet is reporting more than 80% of the tickets and handle are backing the Ragin’ Cajuns to go Over their Win Total, yet the Under is juiced to -125.
EDGE: Under 9.5 (-125)
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Coastal Carolina Regular Season Wins 10 Over (-120) Under (+100)
The Chanticleers are coming off an 11-1 season where their only loss came in an overtime defeat to Liberty in the Cure Bowl. This season, they return 19 of 22 starters, including quarterback and longshot Heisman Trophy candidate Grayson McCall. Last season, McCall threw for 2,488 yards and 26 touchdown passes. He also ran for 569 yards and seven touchdowns. A team that is very good on offense will be returning 10 of 11 starters on defense, too. Overall, Coastal is a double-digit favorite in all but three of their games this season. They are a four-point road favorite at Buffalo, and a nine-point road favorite at Georgia Southern. Their biggest game of the regular season comes in Week 7 when they travel to Boone, North Carolina to face Appalachian State. That’s the only game this season in which they will be the underdog. PointsBet is reporting sharp money backing the Over for the Chanticleers’ 2021 regular season.
EDGE: Over 10 (-120)
Appalachian State Regular Season Wins 8.5 Over (-120) Under (+100)
The Mountaineers are coming off a 9-3 season with a 6-2 conference record. This year, Duke transfer Chase Brice will lead the Mountaineers on offense. Last season, Brice, who once was at Clemson, struggled at Duke. That said, he has much better weapons around him this year: Camerun Peoples is an exciting running back and Corey Sutton could have a big year at wide receiver if he can remain healthy. Appalachian State’s strength is on defense as 10 starters return on a defense that only allowed 20 points per game last season. The Mountaineers will be favorites in 10 of their 12 games this season making the Over a strong possibility. However, the schedule looks to be a little too loaded this season; they have games vs. Miami (FL), Louisiana-Lafayette, Coastal Carolina and Troy. PointsBet is reporting sharp money coming in on the Under, and I agree with that play.
EDGE: Under 8.5 (+100)
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