Coastal Carolina Chanticleers vs. Georgia State Panthers Picks, Predictions, Odds

The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers take on the Georgia State Panthers on Thursday, September 22 in a Sun Belt battle. The game is set for 7:30 p.m. ET from Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia and will air on ESPN2.

Updated on 04/23/2024

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COASTAL CAROLINA CHANTICLEERS vs. GEORGIA STATE PANTHERS BETTING PREDICTION

The Group of Five doesn’t get a lot of love, but the Sun Belt has shown that it is a conference to be reckoned with through the first three weeks of this season. Already we have seen Appalachian State stun Texas A&M, Marshall knock off Notre Dame, Georgia Southern upend Nebraska, and Old Dominion defeat Virginia Tech. South Alabama and Old Dominion almost took down UCLA and Virginia last week too, so any true college football fan should have more than a passing interest when the Georgia State Panthers meet the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Thursday night in Atlanta. 

Although the Georgia State Panthers are 0-3, they are only a short underdog at home against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Thursday night. Georgia State nearly knocked off North Carolina two weeks ago and played South Carolina tough in its season opener. Meanwhile, Coastal Carolina has not been impressive against mediocre competition, leading to doubts about the Chants in 2022. This should be a close game, but I like Georgia State to get its first win of the season.

Score Prediction: Georgia State 28, Coastal Carolina 27
Best Bet: Georgia State +2.5 (-110)

COASTAL CAROLINA CHANTICLEERS vs. GEORGIA STATE PANTHERS BETTING ODDS

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COASTAL CAROLINA CHANTICLEERS vs. GEORGIA STATE PANTHERS BETTING RESOURCES

Date: Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022
Matchup: Sun Belt
Venue: Center Parc Stadium
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
Time-TV: ESPN2, 7:30 p.m. ET
Expert Picks

COASTAL CAROLINA CHANTICLEERS BETTING ANALYSIS

Grayson McCall has been named the Sun Belt Player of the Year for two straight seasons. McCall runs Jamey Chadwell’s modified option at Coastal Carolina, and he has done an excellent job over the last two years. However, it doesn’t look like the ground game is as strong as it was in 2020 and 2021.

The Chanticleers have scored 30+ on each of their first three opponents, but they are ranked just 40^th in Offensive SP+ because none of the three teams they have defeated have an FBS win to their name. Coastal Carolina is averaging just 4.5 YPC on the ground, and McCall hasn’t been as effective as a runner either. Even if you take out sack yardage, McCall has carried the ball 17 times for 72 yards, and that’s not as good as we have seen in the past.

Reese White and C.J. Beasley share the duties as the No. 1 running back in this offense. White has run for 245 yards (6.8 YPC), while Beasley has run for 203 yards (5.8 YPC). Sam Pinckney and Jared Brown have been the most dangerous options in the passing game, but Tyson Mobley, Jacob Jenkins, and White are the red zone receiving threats.

The Chanticleers defense is ranked 93^rd in SP+. Coastal Carolina has allowed 27 PPG and 342.0 YPG this season despite playing poor offenses in Army, Buffalo, and FCS Gardner-Webb. They were trailing Buffalo entering the fourth quarter last week only to pull away in the fourth, but the Panthers have a quarterback that can torch this defense in Grainger.

GEORGIA STATE PANTHERS BETTING ANALYSIS

Darren Grainger is one of the most exciting quarterbacks in the Group of Five. Grainger transferred to Georgia State from Furman in early 2021, and he was named the MVP of the Camellia Bowl last year. He completed 59.6% of his passes for 7.5 YPA with 19 touchdowns and four interceptions last season, and he is off to a strong start in 2022. Grainger has completed 51.7% of his passes for 7.4 YPA with eight touchdowns and two picks through three games, and his completion percentage should dramatically improve now that Georgia State is done playing Power Five teams.

Grainger’s mobility gives Georgia State a lot of options with RPOs. He is the second-leading rusher on the team with 172 yards (4.5 YPC) and a touchdown on the ground. Tucker Gregg is the leading rusher and ran for 100 yards and two scores last week against Charlotte, and Marcus Carroll is a home run hitter that is averaging 7.6 YPC. Former South Carolina cornerback turned running back Jamyest Williams has been solid too, averaging 4.7 YPC.

There are two receivers that Grainger targets in the passing game. Jamari Thrash is used to stretch the field and has 19 receptions for 336 yards and a touchdown, while Robert Lewis is more of a red zone threat with 11 catches for 189 yards and four TDs. Tight end Kris Byrd is someone to watch in goal-to-go situations, as he has five catches for 24 yards and three scores.

Georgia State’s defense is currently ranked 97^th in SP+. The front seven has been solid despite playing two Power Five teams, allowing just 3.7 YPC and 120.7 YPG on the ground. However, Chris Reynolds and Charlotte exposed some of the issues in the secondary last week. Reynolds completed 31 of 43 passes for 401 yards with five touchdowns and a pick in Charlotte’s 42-41 win over Georgia State on Saturday.

COASTAL CAROLINA CHANTICLEERS vs. GEORGIA STATE PANTHERS BETTING TRENDS

• Coastal is 1-5-1 ATS last seven games.
• Coastal is 9-1 SU last 10 road games.
• Coastal is 9-4 ATS last 13 road games.
• Coastal is UNDER in five straight road games.
• Georgia State is UNDER in four of five home games.
• Georgia State is UNDER in seven of 10 games.