Coastal Carolina at Jacksonville State odds, picks and predictions

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]

The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and Jacksonville State Gamecocks begin their seasons Thursday. Kick-off from AmFirst Stadium is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Coastal Carolina vs. Jacksonville State odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.

Coastal Carolina finished last season with an 8-5 overall record and tied for 3rd place in the Sun Belt’s East Division with a 5-3 record in conference play. It finished off the season with a 24-14 win over San Jose State in the Hawaii Bowl. The Chanticleers lost QB Grayson McCall to NC State in the offseason and will be led by QB Ethan Vasko, who threw for 7 touchdowns and an interception last season as the 2nd-string signal-caller, with the possibility of Michigan State transfer QB Noah Kim also seeing reps.

Jacksonville State finished last season with a 9-4 overall record, including 5-1 at home and 6-2 in C-USA, good 3rd in the conference. It ended the season with a 34-31 victory over Louisiana in the New Orleans Bowl. QB Logan Smothers, who threw for 6 TDs and 4 INTs as a 2nd-stringer last year, and Furman transfer QB Tyler Huff will be co-starters Thursday. Gamecocks coach Rich Rodriguez has yet to announce a full-season starter after QB Zion Webb completed his 7th year of eligibility in 2023 and declared for the NFL Draft.

– Rankings: US LBM Coaches Poll, conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports

Stream select live college football games and full replays: Get ESPN+

Coastal Carolina at Jacksonville State odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 11 a.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): Coastal Carolina +130 (bet $100 to win $130) | Jacksonville State -155 (bet $155 to win $100)
Against the spread (ATS): Coastal Carolina +3 (-110) | Jacksonville State -3 (-110)
Over/Under (O/U): 54.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

[gambcom-standard rankid=”3012″ ]

Coastal Carolina at Jacksonville State picks and predictions

Prediction

Jacksonville State 24, Coastal Carolina 20

Moneyline

PASS.

There is better value on the Jacksonville State spread.

Against the spread

BET JACKSONVILLE STATE -3 (-110).

Jacksonville State has shown a tendency in the past to keep the ball on the ground and control possession. Its offensive line is returning 3 starters, while RB Anwar Lewis is back for his senior season. In the season opener in front of its home crowd, Jacksonville State will overwhelm Vasko and company to start off its season with a win and cover.

Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!

Over/Under

BET UNDER 54.5 (-110).

While both teams will be looking to strike early and often using different strategies, the Gamecocks’ willingness to chew the clock and keep the ball on the ground will impact the total. With each team implementing new offseason schemes while trying to play to their strengths, 54.5 points will prove to be too high to eclipse.

[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″ ]

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow @seth_orlemann on Twitter/X. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.

College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:
Alabama / Arkansas / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Duke / Florida / Florida State / Georgia / Iowa / Kentucky / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Rutgers / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / UCLA / USC / Washington / Wisconsin / Recruiting / Transfer portal / College Football Playoffs / College Sports Wire / High School

[lawrence-newsletter]

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1622]