We're still a few months away from the return of college football, but the anticipation is slowly building across the country with spring practices in the books. There's plenty of optimism surrounding the Coastal Carolina football team with quarterback Grayson McCall and first-year coach Tim Beck leading the Chanticleers. Below, we continue our college football odds series with an over/under win total prediction for Coastal Carolina.
Grayson McCall entered the transfer portal as one of the top quarterbacks in the country last December with interest from several schools, including Auburn, but ultimately withdrew his name from the portal on Jan. 1.
In three seasons as a starter, Grayson McCall has thrown for 8,061 yards with 77 touchdowns and just eight interceptions and added 1,054 yards and 17 touchdowns on the ground under the tutelage of former head coach Jamey Chadwell, who has replaced Hugh Freeze at Liberty. McCall also led the Chanticleers to bowl appearances in three consecutive seasons, and he's the only player in Sun Belt history to earn Player of the Year honors three times.
Coastal Carolina got off to a hot start last year, rolling past Army, Gardner-Webb, Buffalo, Georgia State, Georgia Southern, and Louisiana Monroe to a 6-0 record, while piling up 35.0 points per game with an average margin of victory of nine points.
The run game hit a brick wall on both sides of the ball against Old Dominion in mid-October, when the Monarchs demolished double-digit favorite Coastal Carolina, 49-21. The Chanticleers had no answer for Old Dominion's ground attack, which erupted for a whopping 324 yards in the stunning blowout. The Monarchs came into the game averaging just 71 rushing yards per game, and they wrapped up the season with their second-highest rushing total being just 133 yards against Georgia Southern.
Coastal Carolina got back on track after the bye week, outlasting Marshall, App State, and Southern Miss to a 9-1 record, while containing each team's ground game to meager yards per carry rates of 2.4, 3.3, and 1.9, respectively. But the Chanticleers fell apart down the stretch, especially on defense, as they were outscored by a combined 145-62 in their final three games (bowl game included) against James Madison, Troy, and East Carolina.
With former NC State offensive coordinator and QBs coach Tim Beck taking over as the head coach, can the Chanticleers' football team overcome some obstacles and potentially win the Sun Belt? Without further ado, let's take a look at Coastal Carolina's over/under odds.
Here are the latest college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel
College Football Odds: Coastal Carolina Over/Under Win Total
Over 7.5 Wins: -134
Under 7.5 Wins: +110
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Why Coastal Carolina Could Hit The Under
Averaging 29.1 points per game last season, Coastal Carolina's offense shouldn't be an issue, pending a good bill of health. But McCall is the engine of the offense, and he missed nearly 30 percent of the Chanticleers' snaps last year. With McCall on the field, Coastal Carolina averaged 6.6 yards per play and 49 percent of their plays were successful, per ESPN's David Hale. When McCall was sidelined, the Chanticleers averaged just 4.6 yards per play and their successful play rate dropped to just 36 percent.
But aside from the health of McCall and the transition to Tim Beck's system, the bigger factor in breaking down Coastal Carolina's over/under win prediction is the defense, which surrendered 31.8 points per game last year. The presence of linebackers JT Killen and Shane Bruce will help CCU defend against the run, but the departure of nose tackle and Los Angeles Chargers' undrafted free agent Jerrod Clark hurts up front. The pass rush should be fairly solid, but the secondary remains the biggest weakness on the team.
Coastal Carolina also struggled in recruiting and could have its hands full in an increasingly competitive Sun Belt conference.
Why Coastal Carolina Could Hit The Over
The Chanticleers were left off of our list of way-too-early college football playoff rankings heading into the summer but none of their opponents made the list, either. Their toughest tests—at least on paper—will be at UCLA in the season opener, at Appalachian State in primetime in by far the most expensive game on the schedule, and against James Madison at home in the final game of the regular season. UCLA's the only opponent with a higher implied win total.
Coastal Carolina also has reason for optimism under new coach Tim Beck, who has served as an offensive coordinator or co-coordinator at the FBS level for 12 years, with a tendency to lean on the run game and short passing game. Beck previously served under Urban Meyer at Ohio State, Bo Pelini at Nebraska, Tom Herman at Texas, and Dave Doeren at NC State.
Despite the challenges involved in implementing a new system, the Chanticleers should be playing with a chip on their shoulders after the way their 2022 season ended. A healthy bulk of their starters are still returning on both sides of the ball, including their top two running backs and top two wide receivers from last season.
In addition, Coastal Carolina ended up with three of the top FCS players from the transfer portal, per CFN's Cam Mellor. A versatile defensive lineman and Wofford transfer, Michael Mason has a chance to make an immediate impact as a pass rusher that's shown flashes of elite run-stuffing ability for the Terriers.
Keonte Lusk, an East Central transfer and instinctive cornerback with impressive ball skills, will have an opportunity to make a name for himself in the Chanticleers' suspect secondary. The same applies to Courtney Eubanks, a North Dakota State transfer and cover corner with strong closing burst and playmaking ability.
Final Coastal Carolina Over/Under Pick & Prediction
In terms of implied win totals, the Chanticleers are in a three-way tie for third place in the Sun Belt with South Alabama, Louisiana Lafayette, and Marshall, while trailing Troy and James Madison. As the year progresses, health, depth, and leadership will be key factors for Grayson McCall and Coastal Carolina's over/under odds.
Final Coastal Carolina Win Total Prediction: Over 7.5 Wins: -134
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