Coastal making New Year’s Day plans

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One of the most pleasant stories to spring from this peculiar college football campaign is the success of Coastal Carolina.

Not only is the media eating them up, the general public adores them too. Let’s not forget how much they have meant to us sports bettors. This is a program with three years of Football Bowl Subdivision experience that entered September with a 13-23 all-time record as a Division I football team.

They are currently ranked 11th with a perfect record of 10-0, come off a huge 22-17 win over previously ranked No. 8 BYU as a 10-point underdog, and have their focus on a possible New Year’s Six Bowl. Not too shabby for a Sun Belt rep.

Not as well-known as Trevor Lawrence, Kyle Trask, Mac Jones, or Justin Fields, Chanticleers quarterback Grayson McCall has racked up some very impressive numbers. So good, this wonder boy has now put himself on the radar for next year’s Heisman.

Head coach Jamey Chadwell is no newcomer. He is a two-time FCS National Coach of the Year finalist and three-time Big South Coach of the Year, who became the third head coach in Coastal Carolina football history just about a year ago. I wouldn’t be surprised if you see him getting some offers from some very big schools very soon.

All this is great. But what does this team mean to those of us who bet college football? Coastal is as bankable as the $25 savings bond your grandmother gave you on your 18th birthday, going 8-1-1 against the number in 2020. Everyone likes them. But we should all love to bet them.

Saturday

Coastal Carolina -13 at Troy: Don’t put any stock in the performance Troy showed last week in their shutout of the 4-7 South Alabama. This is a team that is outclassed on both sides of the ball here. They are 0-5 ATS the last five vs. winners, 1-4 ATS the last five at home, and 1-4 ATS the last five as a ‘dog. 

Coastal Carolina is 4-0 ATS the last four in December, 16-5 ATS the last 21 on the road. COASTAL CAROLINA

LSU at Florida -23.5: Florida remembers last season’s 42-28 spanking at the hands of LSU.

This is an ideal opportunity for Dan Mullen to impress pollsters while also giving his acclaimed quarterback Kyle Trask a chance to sway more Heisman votes. Trask will cut up, cook, and serve the 125th ranked LSU pass defense, the same way Mac Jones and ‘Bama did last week.

The Tigers are 0-4 ATS the last four meetings. FLORIDA

Virginia +2 at Virginia Tech: The oddsmakers have made a huge mistake in the line. I honestly feel the wrong team is favored. The once-feared Virginia Tech defense has become a doormat (96th, 33.8 PPG allowed) resulting in the teams four-game slide both SU and ATS.

On the flipside, Virginia is red-hot, winning four in a row SU and their last five ATS. Cavaliers dual-threat quarterback Brennan Armstrong (1,858 yards passing, 529 yards rushing) will star in his own highlight reel here. Virginia gets to stop their rival from a Bowl invite for the first time since 1992 and aid in a probable departure for head coach Justin Fuente.

The underdog is 6-2 ATS the last eight meetings in this series. VIRGINIA

San Diego State at BYU -16: While I don’t exclusively look at betting angles, I do put some stock in them when deciding on games. This contest has several.

For starters, BYU got their perfect season broken up last week against an opponent that was virtually unknown prior to 2020. Look for their very talented team (7th offensively, 4th defensively) to bounce back here against a well-known and respected team, and make a statement.

Next, I don’t fall into the trap of judging a team solely on their previous performance. Many will look at last week’s San Diego State victory over Colorado State and play them here because of it.

Lastly, the revenge factor. After dominating this series winning six in a row SU, the Cougars got shut down last season, 13-3. These are very different squads this season and BYU will exact some revenge here. BYU

Last week: 2-1

Season: 25-18

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