ATLANTA – Appalachian State first-year coach Eli Drinkwitz is keeping it real as his team visit Georgia State on Saturday in a Sun Belt Conference East Division showdown. LINE: Appalachian State -16.5"As Jay-Z says ‘real recognizes real,’ and I think the real people out there understand that we have really good football players,'' Drinkwitz said at his weekly press conference. "But the reason why we’re successful is because of the team.” Appalachian State, which earned $900,000 for its trip to South Carolina, controls its own destiny in the Sun Belt with a one-game lead over Georgia Southern and Georgia State in the East. ABOUT APPALACHIAN STATE (8-1, 4-1 Sun Belt)Junior quarterback Zac Thomas (14 touchdowns, four interceptions) improved to 18-3 as a starter after passing for a season-low 105 yards against South Carolina. PREDICTION: Appalachian State 38, Georgia State 24