The winner of the game hurriedly scheduled for Saturday between the unbeaten BYU 13 and Coastal Carolina 18 teams is yet to make it to the College Football Playoff, but one team will have a big win at the end of the season to hang the hat. After both have rolled out schedules with mostly defeated opponents, it’s time to see who’s high up in the Group of Five hierarchy.
Just a few days ago, the Chanticleers were on their way to play Liberty in an intriguing non-conference game. But after Liberty encountered problems with COVID-19, this clash against BYU is likely to draw even more national attention thanks to BYU’s position as one of the most polarizing teams in this unstable 2020 college football season. The Cougars have defeated their nine opponents so far by an average margin of 33.7 victory points, but their best win so far has come against a Boise State team that plays without its two best defenders.
Coastal Carolina has defeated quality opponents from the Sun Belt, Louisiana and Appalachian State, and will provide the Cougars with their toughest test yet. Led by a rising star as a quarterback at Grayson McCall and another rising star as a head coach at Jamey Chadwell, the Chanticleers are trying to make a national statement in just their fourth season competing at the FBS level.
So, who wins this last-second clash of teams ranked off the coast of South Carolina? Let’s take a look at the plots and clashes to follow in this one before making some expert choices both upward and against spread.
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Storylines
BYU: It may be tempting to reinforce BYU for its light schedule, but the fact that the Cougars played nine games is proof of the work that sports director Tom Holmoe did to put the Cougars on the pitch this season. They had no conference games to use as an independent program, which made them struggle to find games. BYU was supposed to play Utah, Michigan, Arizona, Minnesota and Stanford, among others, before the COVID-19 pandemic, but now this game against Coastal Carolina will be the cougars’ best opportunity to prove they are truly a team elite. Quarterback Zach Wilson launched 26 touchdowns and just two interceptions. If he manages to put together another prolific game and take BYU to victory, it will solidify his position as a possible high-level choice in the NFL Draft and give his team a declared victory.
Coastal Carolina: Chanticleers execute an innovative propagation option attack that produced 38.7 points per game, which is the maximum in the Sun Belt. It produced an impressively balanced attack (222 yards per game and 226.3 passes) that confused the opposing defenses . But their defense has also been good, allowing only 322.2 yards per game, which is the 15th national. The success on both sides of the ball made Chadwell a hot name on the coach carousel during his third season as a coach. The former East Tennessee State quarterback has coached four programs, but has never worked at the Power Five level. Orchestrating a short-term victory against BYU would certainly help to eliminate any doubts about your qualifications for a great show.
View information
Meeting: Saturday, December 5 | Time: 17:30 ET
Location: Brooks Stadium – Conway, South Carolina
TV: ESPNU | Live broadcast: fuboTV (try for free)
BYU at Coastal Carolina forecasts, choices
BYU’s drowning of almost all opponents to date makes them an attractive move, but Coastal Carolina’s spread options scheme is unique and difficult to prepare. Considering that BYU is traveling around the country in the short term to play against an unorthodox scheme, Chanticleers may have the opportunity to take the lead in advance. It may not be a definite win, but Coastal Carolina is solid enough at every stage of the game to cover BYU. Choice: Coastal Carolina (+10)
What college football choices can you confidently make in Week 14? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread – all from a proven computer model that has returned over $ 3,500 in profit over the past four seasons – and find out.