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

Jacksonville State Gamecocks Betting Preview

The Jacksonville State Gamecocks went 9-4 (6-2) last year and they had a great first season in the FBS. The Gamecocks finished third in C-USA and even squeezed into a bowl game. Jacksonville State started the season by winning five of their first six games, with the lone loss coming at Coastal Carolina. The Gamecocks also lost to Liberty, South Carolina, and New Mexico State, but they were able to pick up a win against Louisiana by a score of 34-31 in overtime of the New Orleans Bowl. 

Jacksonville State does have a quarterback battle going on between Zion Turner, Logan Smothers, and Tyler Huff, but I would think Smothers has the advantage after playing last year. The Gamecocks love to use a mobile quarterback and they will need to do that again, especially with a lot of running back production gone. On the outside, Jacksonville State did lose some pieces at wide receiver to the transfer portal, so we will see how that group looks to start the season. 

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.

Why Coastal Carolina will beat Jacksonville State

• The underdog has won five of Coastal Carolina's last six games.
• Coastal Carolina has covered the spread in five of its last six games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams.

Total Points Facts

• Four of Jacksonville State's last five games as a favorite have gone OVER the total points line.
• Six of Coastal Carolina's last eight games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams have gone UNDER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

• Jacksonville State was one of only 19 FBS teams to win 2+ games when trailing after Q3 last season.
• Jacksonville State ranked 22nd among FBS teams for H2 points allowed per game last season (9.2).
• Coastal Carolina ranked 39th among FBS teams for H1 points allowed per game last season (11.2).

Coastal Carolina vs Jacksonville State Prediction 

These two teams come into this game with plenty of unknowns after losing some key pieces, but Coastal Carolina did beat Jacksonville State by a score of 30-16 last year. Jacksonville State had a fantastic season, especially for being new to the FBS, and they will have the home field advantage in this game. I really don’t like either teams wide receiver group and I think each team is going to start slowly on offense, so I like the under in this matchup.