Kansas vs. Coastal Carolina Odds & Pick 9/10/21

When: Friday, September 10, 8 p.m.

Where: Brooks Stadium, Conway, S.C.

TV: ESPN

Point Spread: KU +26/CCU -26 (MyBookie – Use bonus code PREDICT100 to get a 100% bonus!)

Total: O/U 52.5

Outlook

The series that Kansas wishes it had never scheduled finally concludes Friday, with the Jayhawks making the trip near Myrtle Beach. Kansas thought it was getting three winnable games and a chance to earn a win in the Southeast when it agreed to play Coastal Carolina, but the Chanticleers have taken off in the past two seasons, leaving the Jayhawks with more than they bargained for.
Instead of getting a reasonably winnable matchup, the Jayhawks will find themselves underdogs against a Top 25 team as they make their visit to the Surf Turf. Based on their performance against South Dakota, the Jayhawks could be in for another rough experience. Kansas needed a late drive to escape from the Coyotes and only managed 247 yards of offense, which certainly won’t be enough if Coastal does anything like what they did against The Citadel. The Chanticleers did whatever they wanted from start to finish, and unlike most Group of 5 teams, this team won’t be the slightest bit intimidated against a Power 5 team after beating the Jayhawks twice in Lawrence. Kansas has been known to pull the occasional non-conference upset, but this doesn’t look like a likely spot for that, considering the Chanticleers are favored by more than four touchdowns.
How the Public is Betting the Kansas/Coastal Carolina Game

The public is backing Kansas on this one, as the number has dropped a point since opening at -26. The total has dropped half a point, falling to 52.5.

Injury Concerns

Kansas:
Wide receiver Kevin Terry (undisclosed) is questionable, while running back Daniel Hinshaw Jr. (undisclosed) is out for the season.

Coastal Carolina:
Coastal Carolina reports no injuries.

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When Kansas Has the Ball

The best thing you can say about the Jayhawks’ offense is that they didn’t turn the ball over against South Dakota, cleaning up one major mistake of the Les Miles era. The Jayhawks have gone -16 in turnovers over the past two seasons, so avoiding those mistakes against South Dakota was a step in the right direction.
But everything else was a royal mess, as the Jayhawks punted on their first six possessions and didn’t get anything going on the ground. Kansas only scratched out two yards per carry on 41 attempts, which doesn’t bode well for facing off against stronger opponents.

What that says is that Kansas coach Lance Leipold is committed to the ground-based attack he used to great success at Buffalo, but the Jayhawks do not have the personnel needed to make it work. Jason Bean might be serviceable at quarterback, but when he’s also your leading rusher, that’s a sure sign that Velton Gardner isn’t anywhere near what Jaret Patterson was for Leipold at Buffalo. Things are going to get worse for this offense before they get better.

When Coastal Carolina Has the Ball

The first game didn’t reveal any new information about Coastal, as Grayson McCall picked up where he left off last season. McCall threw 26 touchdowns against just three interceptions last season. Five of those scores came in a 38-23 hammering of Kansas. He threw just three incompletions against The Citadel, showing that he will have no problems continuing to do to opposing defenses what he did last year.
The question is whether Coastal’s running game is legitimate or The Citadel simply has a sorry defense. The Chanticleers averaged nearly nine yards per carry against the Bulldogs behind Shermari Jones, but Jones only got nine carries because the game was one-way traffic. Coastal averaged 5.1 yards per carry a year ago behind C.J. Marable, so there are plenty of reasons to believe that the running game is for real. That could be a massive problem for Kansas, as the Jayhawks gave up 5.8 yards per carry a season ago.

Betting Trends

Over has been the way to go when Kansas faces an FBS team, as 16 of the Jayhawks’ past 17 opponents have scored at least 31 points, with the only exception being a Texas Tech offense that completely short-circuited in a 16-13 escape. Everyone else on the Jayhawks’ schedule got 38 last season, and that should serve Coastal well, as the Chanticleers only failed to score 30 or more on three occasions last season, with one being their memorable battle with BYU.

Coastal also has proven incredibly difficult to stop on the Surf Turf, as the Chanticleers won and covered all seven of their home games a season ago. Overall, Coastal has won eight straight at home, and this game marks the first time a Power 5 opponent will visit Conway, which should mean a fairly raucous atmosphere.

Weather Report

Storms will sweep through South Carolina during the week, but the weather should be ideal for football by Friday night. Temperatures are expected to hit 81 degrees, with winds blowing at six miles per hour to the north.

Dan’s Pick to Cover the Spread

This one has the potential to really get out of hand. The Jayhawks are likely to fall behind early, and Kansas does not have the passing attack needed to come from behind against this Coastal squad. The one concern here would be whether the Chanticleers let their foot off the gas too early because it’s a lot of points, but I think that Coastal keeps scoring throughout the contest. I’ll back the Chanticleers to roll to the cover. Note: Outside of picking winners and money management, the most important variable in sports betting is getting the best line and best pricing. 99% of bettors lay -110 on games. The super-wise have figured out they can bet for cheaper at -105 odds at BetAnySports. Stop wasting money and start betting smarter TODAY by making the switch to reduced juice football betting!