For this week’s reading, I read “Appalachian State Isn’t just That Small School That Beat Michigan Anymore.” This article was written by Jake Lourim and Neil Paine. Jake Lourin being a freelance writer in Washington and Neil Paine being a sportswriter and editor for FiveThirtyEight and previous writer for ESPN Insider. This article focuses on App State football during the 2019 season. This season was very successful, and it talks about what they did well over the season as well as what is to come next. This article also focuses on what really put this small school on the map and why their victories have become a big deal in sports history.
First, the article talks about what really puts App State on the map when it comes to football. In 2007 they beat Michigan and it became known as the biggest upset in sports history. This small school beat one of the best-known college football schools and blew them out of the water. That same season according to the article, “the program was already coming off two Division I-AA […] championships and on its way to a third.” This ultimately put App State on sports fans radars as App State at the time was an unknown school that didn’t have many people tuning in on and now, they do.
Second, since Michigan App State became successful in their football program. This article strictly talks about the 2019 season, and it talks about what they have done so far. What they have done so far has been a 7-0 streak with a win at North Carolina which was the first win over a Power Five opponent since Michigan. They then became highest ranking in history for a Sun Belt Conference as well. They won three straight national championships over the years and the 2019 team established the third and according to the article “redefined what is attainable for a school of their stature.”
Third, the article goes on to talk about what is next for the Mountaineers during the 2019 season. App State has a projection to go on to play Georgia Southern and has an 11.9 percent chance at a win but those odds continued to go up through the season. According to the article, with this win they could be projected to play teams such as Michigan again if they continue to win their games. With this win they could even go on to get a spot in the Cotton Bowl. As much as we don’t know what happened to the Georgia Southern game in the article, the article is very hopeful for victory for App State’s future in football.
