Jacksonville State vs Coastal Carolina Prediction 8-29-24 College Football Picks

The Jacksonville State Gamecocks and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers meet in week 1 college football action from Burgess-Snow Field on Thursday. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Jacksonville State vs Coastal Carolina Prediction.

How Good is Coastal Carolina This Year?

Coastal Carolina might not be the most dominant team, like they have been in years past, but this still looks like a very good squad. Gone is Grayson McCall, who went to NC State, at quarterback, and it’s unclear who is going to start. Ethan Vasko might have a leg up, but Noah Kim, who came over from Michigan State, hopes to win the job. One big issue for the offense is the depth at wide receiver. Jameson Tucker is back, but the other two top wide receivers are gone.

On defense, Coastal Carolina was pretty solid, and if they can avoid giving up the big play, they should be in good shape. The secondary looks to be a real strength of this team led by Abraham Temoney and there is a real expectation that the secondary is going to be able to lock down here. On the road in this game, Coastal Carolina is going to need to jump out to a lead and really put the pressure on. 

Can Jacksonville State Continue the Upward Trend?

After a solid 2023 season, Rich Rodriguez brings back a talented offense that should really impress some people. Last season, Jacksonville State ran a two-quarterback offense, but this year it’s going to be the Logan Smothers show. Smothers last year rushed seven touchdowns and threw for another six. One question for Jacksonville State heading into the season is how will the play of the running game be.

The top rusher from last year is gone, but Senior Anwar Lewis hopes to stay healthy and have a big season. This is a run-first team, and this game is going to start with running the ball. Last season, Jacksonville State’s defense was the top in the conference, giving up only 21.3 points per game. This defense has a new defensive coordinator, but most of the talent is back from last year’s team. Jacksonville State will face Louisville and Eastern Michigan following this game.

Why Jacksonville State Will Beat Coastal Carolina

• Jacksonville State has won five of its last six home games against non-AP-ranked teams.
• Jacksonville State has covered the spread in five of its last six home games against non-AP-ranked teams.

Jacksonville State vs Coastal Carolina Prediction

Coastal Carolina is probably going to be a popular pick on Thursday night, but this game is going to be Jacksonville State that ends up on top. Jacksonville State’s defense is elite, and I am not sold on the Coastal Carolina quarterback position. The Chanticleers are going to really struggle to get the offense going, and it’s going to be Jacksonville State that comes out on top. Back Jacksonville State to win this game and cover the spread.