One of these Sun Belt teams closed 2025 on a six-game tear and a bowl trophy. The other is starting over with 65 new faces. Friday night in Boone will tell you which story is real.
Bush’s Picks
ODUAPP
ODUAPP
OverUnder
Best BetOld Dominion
Old Dominion enters with the better recent track record — a six-game closing streak and a bowl win — and a preseason ranking that says the league already believes in this roster. App State is still sorting out its starting quarterback and trench pieces, which is a shaky foundation for an outright upset on a Friday night. Back the Monarchs to win this one straight up.
Old Dominion
+Closed 2025 on a six-game winning streak
+Won Cure Bowl, 24-10 over South Florida
+Picked second in Sun Belt preseason poll
−54 new players, lost OC Kevin Decker to Memphis
−Ranked 114th nationally in returning production
−QB Potter lost his starting job at Washington State
App State
+Loggains enters year two with a clearer plan
+New OC Mike Anthony brings a fresh scheme
+Friday night home crowd in Boone
−Back-to-back losing seasons under Loggains
−Only 5 returning starters after roster overhaul
−Unsettled QB battle between Singleton and Hasselbeck
Malachi Singleton and Henry Hasselbeck are still fighting it out for App State's starting job, and whoever wins that battle inherits a Friday night test with real conference-seeding stakes. Old Dominion rolls into Boone picked second in the Sun Belt preseason poll, fresh off a Cure Bowl trophy, and a road environment like this is exactly what separates contenders from pretenders this early in league play.
Both rosters look almost unrecognizable from a year ago. App State is deep into Dowell Loggains' full rebuild with only 5 returning starters, while Old Dominion is stitching in 54 newcomers of its own after losing offensive coordinator Kevin Decker to Memphis. Whichever staff has actually installed continuity by early October should show up on the scoreboard before it shows up anywhere else.
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ODU Old Dominion
APP App State
Old Dominion's case starts with results — a six-game closing streak and a 24-10 Cure Bowl win over South Florida tend to buy patience, and veterans Devin Roche and Mario Easterly are back to set the tone for all the newcomers. App State's case is simpler: it's home, it's a Friday night under the lights, and Loggains needs a signature statement that year two is actually trending in the right direction.
Old Dominion Monarchs
Oct 2?@ Georgia State—
Sep 25?vs James Madison—
Sep 19?vs East Carolina—
Sep 12?@ Virginia Tech—
Sep 5?vs Norfolk State—
App State Mountaineers
Sep 25?@ NC State—
Sep 19?vs Charlotte—
Sep 12?@ East Carolina—
Sep 5?vs Maine—
Recent form.
The quarterback picture matters more than usual here. Singleton threw for 439 yards and 5 touchdowns in 11 games as a first-year Purdue transfer last season, and now he's trying to hold off Hasselbeck for the App State job in year two of a system rebuild. On the other side, Old Dominion is breaking in Washington State transfer QB Potter, who started the first three games there in 2025 before losing his job — a talented arm looking for a reset, not a finished product.
Old Dominion Monarchs
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
App State Mountaineers
(0)
Fully healthy — no injuries on ESPN's report
Injury report — info via ESPN.
Neither program has fully found its identity yet, which is what makes an early trip to Boone worth circling. If App State's defense has taken the step Phil Steele's models are pointing toward, this is a springboard game for Loggains. If Old Dominion's wave of newcomers has absorbed Ricky Rahne's process the way Roche describes it, the Monarchs cement themselves as the Sun Belt's clear No. 2 with a statement road win.
