Coastal Carolina vs The Citadel 9/2/21 College Football Picks, Odds, Predictions

The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers meet the Citadel Bulldogs Thursday in Week 1 2021 college football action from Brooks Stadium. This will be the first on-field activity for both teams this year. The Citadel had a rough season in 2020, finishing 2-10 and one spot out of the basement in the Southern Conference. As for the Chanticleers, they posted an 11-1 overall mark last year, taking the division and co-championship in the Sun Belt. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place. 

The Citadel stumbled out of the gate last September, losing their first nine games in a stretch from mid-September to late March. The Bulldogs bagged a couple of wins over Wofford and Furman in April, but finished off with a loss to VMI 31-17 on April 17. 

The Citadel failed to improve on their .500 record from 2019, and ultimately finished just ahead of Western Carolina at the bottom of the Southern Conference. The Bulldogs will move ahead with sixth-year head coach Brent Thompson; he’ll try to find some more wins in 2021. 

As for the Chanticleers, they burst out of the gate with a nice 11-0 run, taking out teams including Kansas, Arkansas State, Louisiana, Georgia State, App State and BYU along the way. Coastal Carolina easily won the East Division of the Sun Belt Conference, sharing a co-championship with Louisiana. 

Coastal Carolina earned a trip to the Cure Bowl versus Liberty on December 26. Their season would end on a sour note in that game, as the Chanticleers ultimately fell 37-34 in a tough overtime affair. 

The Bulldogs are 5-1 ATS in their last six road games and 4-1 ATS in their last five overall. The Citadel is 4-1 ATS in their last five non-conference games and the under is 4-0 in their last four overall. 

Meanwhile, the Chanticleers are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six home games and 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 overall. Coastal is 4-0-1 ATS in their last five on grass and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 in September. 

PICK: I’m probably sticking with the Chanticleers in this one. The Bulldogs are coming off a disappointing campaign, but do have a couple of breakout players in their ranks including wide receiver Raleigh Webb. The Citadel should take a step forward this season if all goes well. As for the Chanticleers, they will return strong after averaging 450 yards and 37 points per game last year. Leading rusher CJ Marable has moved on, but all the other key pieces are there. Behind that big-play offense, Coastal Carolina should do some great things in 2021.