The Appalachian State Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, United States. The Mountaineers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and were a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) between 1972 and 2014. On July 1, 2014, Appalachian State moved to the Sun Belt Conference. Appalachian State fields varsity teams in 17 sports, 7 for men and 10 for women. The football team competes in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly I-A, as a result of the transition to the Sun Belt. The wrestling team remains in the Southern Conference because the Sun Belt does not sponsor the sport. In field hockey, another sport not sponsored by the Sun Belt, Appalachian State joined the Mid-American Conference for the 2017 season after playing two seasons as an independent following the demise of its former league, the Northern Pacific Field Hockey Conference (NorPac). While rivalries exist with Sun Belt west division schools such as Troy and Louisiana, Appalachian State's main Sun Belt rivals are east division members Coastal Carolina and Georgia Southern, as well as rekindled rivalries from the days in FCS with recent Sun Belt additions Marshall and James Madison. Historically prior to joining the Sun Belt, Western Carolina and Furman were prominent rivalries.
The Appalachian State Mountaineers football team is the intercollegiate American football team representing Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. The Mountaineers have competed in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the Sun Belt Conference since 2014. Appalachian plays its home games in Kidd Brewer Stadium, named after former head coach Kidd Brewer, whose 1937 squad was unbeaten and unscored upon during the regular season, outscoring opponents 206–0.
The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team represents Coastal Carolina University in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. The Chanticleers are members of the Sun Belt Conference, fielding its teams at the FBS level since 2017. The Chanticleers play their home games at James C. Benton Field at Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina.
The 2015 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team represented Appalachian State University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Scott Satterfield and played their home games at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina. This season was the Mountaineers second season in the Sun Belt Conference, and their first as a full, bowl-eligible member of the Football Bowl Subdivision. They finished the season 11–2, 7–1 in Sun Belt play to finish in second place. They were invited to their first ever bowl game, the Camellia Bowl, where they defeated Ohio.
The 2016 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team represented Appalachian State University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Mountaineers played their home games at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina and competed in the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by fourth-year head coach Scott Satterfield. They finished the season 10–3, 7–1 in Sun Belt play to win a share of the Sun Belt championship with Arkansas State. They were invited to the Camellia Bowl where they defeated Toledo.
The 2016 Sun Belt Conference football season was the 16th season in which the Sun Belt Conference operated a football league, and was part of the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season began on September 1 with Appalachian State facing Tennessee. This was the third season for the Sun Belt since realignment that took effect in 2014, which added the tenth and eleventh members — Idaho and New Mexico State. Both teams were previously independents before joining the conference. The Sun Belt Conference is a "Group of Five" conference under the College Football Playoff format along with the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, and the Mountain West Conference.
Nate Woody is an American football coach. He is the current defensive coordinator for the Army Black Knights. Prior to Army, Woody worked for Jim Harbaugh at the University of Michigan as the senior defensive analyst. He was the former defensive coordinator of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. He previously held the same position at Wofford from 2000 to 2012, and at Appalachian State from 2013 to 2017. In 2015, he was nominated for the Broyles Award. He is a graduate of T. L. Hanna High School.
The 2016 Raycom Media Camellia Bowl was a post-season American college football bowl game between the Appalachian State Mountaineers of the Sun Belt Conference and the Toledo Rockets of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). Played on December 17, 2016, at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama, it was the third edition of the Camellia Bowl and the final matchup of the 2016 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision football season for both teams.
The 2017 Appalachian State Mountaineers baseball team represented the Appalachian State University in the 2017 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Mountaineers played their home games at Beaver Field.
The 2017 Georgia State Panthers football team represented Georgia State University (GSU) in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Panthers were led by first-year head coach Shawn Elliott. The season marked the first in which they played in the newly acquired Georgia State Stadium, a renovated Turner Field with artificial turf and a 22,000 person capacity. The season was the Panthers' fifth in the Sun Belt Conference and eighth since starting football. The Panthers finished the season 7–5, 5–3 in Sun Belt play to finish in fourth place. They received an invite to the Cure Bowl, where Georgia State defeated Western Kentucky for the Panthers' first bowl win in program history.
The 2017 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team represented Coastal Carolina University in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Chanticleers played their home games at the Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina, and competed in the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by interim head coach Jamey Chadwell, who also served as offense coordinator, while permanent head coach Joe Moglia was on leave due to medical issues. The season marked the Chanticleers' first year in the Sun Belt and the FBS, and their second of a two year transition period. They would not become bowl-eligible until the 2018 season. They finished the season 3–9, 2–6 in Sun Belt play to finish in a tie for 10th place.
The 2017 Idaho Vandals football team represented the University of Idaho in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Vandals played their home games at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho, and competed in the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by fifth-year head coach Paul Petrino. They finished the season 4–8, 3–5 in Sun Belt play to finish in a tie for eighth place.
The 2017 Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football team represented the University of Louisiana at Monroe in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Warhawks played their home games at Malone Stadium in Monroe, Louisiana, and competed in the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by second-year head coach Matt Viator. They finished the season 4–8, 4–4 in Sun Belt play to finish in a three-way tie for fifth place.
The 2017 Dollar General Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 23, 2017, at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The 19th edition of the Dollar General Bowl featured the Sun Belt Conference co-champion Appalachian State Mountaineers against the Mid-American Conference champion Toledo Rockets. Kickoff was scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CST and the game aired on ESPN. It was one of the 2017–18 bowl games concluding the 2017 FBS football season. The game was sponsored by the Dollar General chain of variety stores.
The 2018 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Ragin' Cajuns played their home games at Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana and competed in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Billy Napier. They finished the season 7–7, 5–3 in Sun Belt play to finish in a tie for the West Division championship with Arkansas State. Due to their head-to-head win over Arkansas State, they represented the West Division in the inaugural Sun Belt Championship Game where they lost to East Division champion Appalachian State. They were invited to the Cure Bowl where they lost to Tulane.
The 2018 Sun Belt Conference Championship Game was played on December 1, 2018, between the Mountaineers of Appalachian State and the Ragin' Cajuns from Louisiana. The game was played at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, North Carolina, due to Appalachian State's better conference record. This was the second time these teams played this year; the first meeting finished 27–17 in the Mountaineers' favor. The winner of the game would play in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl while the loser would play in the Cure Bowl.
The 2020 Sun Belt Conference football season was the 20th season of college football play for the Sun Belt Conference. The season began September 3, 2020 and concluded December 26, 2020 as part of the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Sun Belt consists of 10 members in two divisions. The conference released its schedule on February 28, 2020, but numerous changes have been made since as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The 2020 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Ragin' Cajuns played their home games at Cajun Field in Lafayette, Louisiana, and competed in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by third-year head coach Billy Napier. The Cajuns began the season with an away matchup against a preseason top-25 Iowa State and concluded their regular season at conference and in-state rival Louisiana–Monroe.
The 2021 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team represented Appalachian State University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Mountaineers were led by second-year head coach Shawn Clark. Appalachian State played their home games at Kidd Brewer Stadium on the school's Boone, North Carolina, campus, and competed as a member of the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference.
