Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana Predictions, Odds, Preview

• October 14, 2020
• By Tom Wilkinson
• VegasInsider.com

There will be Wednesday night football for the first time this season, as Louisiana welcomes Coastal Carolina to Lafayette in a battle of unbeaten Sun Belt teams.

This is the most consequential midweek game of the season to this point, since both the Ragin’ Cajuns and Chanticleers are 3-0 with convincing wins over Power Five opponents.

BETTING RESOURCES

• Week 7 Matchup: Sun Belt
• Expert Picks: Vegas Insiders
• Venue: Cajun Field
• Location: Lafayette, Louisiana
• Date: Wednesday, October 14, 2020
• Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
• Bet: BetMGM | BetRivers | FanDuel | PointsBet | All

Coastal Carolina-Louisiana BETTING ODDS

Line Movements

• Spread: Louisiana -7.5
• Money-Line: Louisiana -264, Coastal Carolina +210
• Total: 58.5

Louisiana has been installed as a home favorite on Wednesday as Coastal Carolina pays a visit to Cajun Field. (AP)

HOW TO HANDICAP Coastal Carolina-Louisiana

Louisiana kicked off its season with a very impressive 31-14 road win over Iowa State back on September 12. The Ragin’ Cajuns were 13-point underdogs to the Cyclones in Ames, so the reverse cover led to a lot of respect for Billy Napier and his team.

It appears the Ragin’ Cajuns were given a bit too much respect though, as they beat Georgia State and Georgia Southern by a combined five points the next two weeks. Louisiana was a double-digit favorite per the CFB betting odds in both games, leading to this team having a 1-2 ATS mark.

Coastal Carolina has befuddled oddsmakers this year. The Chanticleers beat Kansas by 15 points as a 4.5-point underdog in their first game, but they failed to cover a lofty spread against FCS Campbell the next week. That led to the Chanticleers being a short home underdog against Arkansas State in their last game, and they hammered the Red Wolves 52-23.

They are 2-1 ATS with both victories being outright wins as an underdog.

BETTING ANALYSIS – RAGIN’ CAJUNS

Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• Overall: 3-0 SU, 1-2 ATS, 1-2 O/U

Napier has been heralded as one of the best young coaches in the Group of Five after leading Louisiana to the Sun Belt Championship Game in each of his first two seasons.

The Ragin’ Cajuns won a program record 11 games last season, and that performance led to multiple SEC schools reportedly interviewing Napier last year. He is a dynamite recruiter that has signed the best class in the Sun Belt in each of the last two seasons, and that is really paying off this year as Louisiana’s depth has been tested due to COVID-19.

Louisiana has the 25th best offense per SP+ coming into this game, and that lofty ranking is mainly the result of a strong ground game. Elijah Mitchell leads the way with 210 yards on 8.8 YPC, but the Ragin’ Cajuns are running for 5.1 YPC as a team. Mitchell sat out of Louisiana’s last game due to COVID-19, yet he is probably to suit up on Wednesday.

Levi Lewis has been decent at quarterback, completing 57.8 percent of his passes for 8.0 YPA with four touchdowns and three interceptions on the year. However, this receiving corps stands to be a patchwork unit against the Chanticleers. Louisiana lost three receivers to season-ending injuries before the season started, and leading receiver Peter LeBlanc is 'questionable' to play. No other player has more than six receptions for the Ragin’ Cajuns this year, so if LeBlanc can’t play, we might see the passing game struggle.

The Ragin’ Cajuns have done a good job stopping the pass this year, but the run defense has been iffy. While Louisiana is allowing just 6.5 YPA, this team is conceding 4.2 YPC on the ground. Cornerback Eric Garror is one of the best in the Sun Belt, and the Ragin’ Cajuns have two solid safeties in Bralen Trahan and Kam Pedescleaux. Preseason First Team All-SBC linebacker Joe Dillon is set to return too after being held out because of COVID-19.

If this game comes down to field goal kicking, Louisiana could be in trouble. Nate Snyder is just 3-7 on field goal attempts this season.

BETTING ANALYSIS - CHANTICLEERS

• Overall: 3-0 SU, 2-1 ATS, 3-0 O/U

This is Coastal Carolina’s fourth season in the FBS, and the Chanticleers are poised to post a winning record for the first time in school history under Jamey Chadwell. Chadwell was a three-time Big South Coach of the Year at Charleston Southern, so he is very familiar with winning in the Carolinas.

Redshirt freshman Grayson McCall has been superb this season, and Coastal Carolina appears to have found a diamond in the rough with him. McCall has completed two-thirds of his passes for 11.6 YPA with nine touchdowns and one interception through three games in 2020. His offensive line has done a tremendous job keeping him clean in the pocket, as McCall has only been sacked once this year.

The three primary targets in the passing game have been Jaivon Heiligh, Kameron Brown, and tight end Isaiah Likely. Heiligh leads the way with 12 receptions for 219 yards and three touchdowns, while Likely has been a surprising big play threat with a 30.7 YPC and three scores to his name.

McCall is proving to be more than a competent runner too, averaging 4.5 YPC this season. C.J. Marable has not been as explosive as he was on his way to a 1,000-yard season last year, but he is still picking up 4.0 YPC as the top running back for the Chants.

The offense has needed to perform well because the defense currently ranks 100th in SP+. Coastal Carolina has allowed at least 21 points to all three of their opponents, but this team does have a fearsome pass rush. C.J. Brewer, Silas Kelly, and Jeffrey Gunter all have at least three sacks this season.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

HEAD-TO-HEAD

These teams have only met twice as FBS schools. In 2018, the Chanticleers edged the Ragin’ Cajuns 30-28 after running the ball 56 times for 311 yards and two touchdowns. Louisiana repaid that defeat in spades last year with a 48-7 beatdown of Coastal Carolina.

Both previous meetings between these teams went under the total, but not by much.

LAST SEASON

The Ragin’ Cajuns pounded the Chanticleers 48-7 last season. Louisiana had no trouble moving the ball against this defense, compiling 564 total yards of offense in a total thrashing. Coastal Carolina’s only points came off a touchdown pass with less than four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, and this team didn’t surpass 200 total yards of offense until that drive.

Lewis had a superb afternoon, completing 26 of 30 passes for 296 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. He distributed the ball effectively, as a whopping 14 different players caught passes for the Ragin’ Cajuns in the win.

NOTABLE BETTING TRENDS

-- Louisiana has failed to cover in each of its last four games as a favorite

-- Under has cashed in the Ragin’ Cajuns last five home games

-- Coastal Carolina has covered as an underdog in four straight games

TULANE VS. HOUSTON - PREDICTIONS

• Score Prediction: Louisiana 27, Coastal Carolina 24
• Best Bet: Coastal Carolina +7.5