There have been a lot of surprises throughout the 2020 college football season but perhaps the biggest of all the storylines has been no. 12 Coastal Carolina’s rise to fame. The Chanticleers were practically unknown to the majority of college football fans before the season. Mostly known as a “party school”, Coastal has elevated their reputation following an undefeated 11-0 season that featured a couple of notable wins against Kansas and no. 13 BYU. Head Coach Jamey Chadwell has become one of the most prestigious young coaches in the country and has Coastal in position to cap off an unprecedented undefeated campaign if they can capture a victory over no. 23 Liberty in the FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl.
The Flames will not be a pushover by any stretch of the imagination. Liberty posted a strong 9-1 SU record this season which included wins over Syracuse, Virginia Tech, and others. The Flames only loss was a mere 15-14 defeat at the hands of North Carolina. Needless to say, Liberty has proven to be able to compete with any opponent which makes their battle with Coastal an extremely intriguing match-up among non-Power 5 breakout programs. Head Coach Hugh Freeze has resurrected his career in just 2 seasons at Liberty following a disappointing 5 year stint at Ole Miss. Now both Freeze and Liberty have a chance to steal Coastal’s thunder as 6.5 point underdogs.
Coastal Carolina to make 1st bowl appearance in school history
The Chanticleers breakout season is even more impressive when you consider the school just joined the FBS level 4 years ago. The program never even qualified for a bowl before this year with just 13 combined wins over the previous 3 seasons. To add more allure to this bowl pairing, both Liberty and Coastal were scheduled to play against each other this season. However, the meeting was cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns and never rescheduled. So in many ways, this bowl pairing is sweet justice as both programs finally get a chance to settle the score.
Liberty vs. Coastal Betting Analysis
From a match-up standpoint, I firmly believe that Coastal has the better all-around team. The Chanticleers have a trio of talent at the skill positions that includes QB Grayson McCall, RB CJ Marable, and WR Jaivon Heiligh. Marable has racked up 12 rushing touchdowns on the ground while Heiligh has reeled in 10 touchdown catches. Meanwhile, McCall has hit 70% of his passes on the season with 23 passing touchdowns and just 2 picks. Overall, Coastal just has a lot of talented players that will provide match-up problems for the Liberty defense.
- Get more details: Liberty vs. Coastal Carolina 12/26/20 Match-up Stats
If there are any concerns for Coastal, it could be in the Chanticleers defense. The Coastal Carolina defense has struggled at times throughout the year and they cannot avoid letting this FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl turn into a shootout. Liberty QB Malik Willis may be the best player on the field with both teams meet. Willis has been great throwing the football with 20 touchdowns compared to just 4 picks and has been equally dangerous with his feet. In fact, Willis leads the Flames with 807 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Therefore, Willis will have the opportunity to show his skill set in an upside match-up. The question is will Liberty get help from their other players if Willis fails to carry the load? Either way, bettors should expect fireworks in this game as both offenses have favorable match-ups which should lead to numerous scoring opportunities.
Liberty vs. Coastal Betting Trends
- Liberty is 7-0 ATS in the last 7 games
- Liberty is 11-1 SU in the last 12 games
- Liberty has hit the “over” in 4 of the last 6 games
- Coastal is 7-1-1 ATS in the last 9 games
- Coastal is 4-1-1 ATS in the last 6 games as favorites
