Coastal Carolina vs. Kansas Betting Odds & Pick: Don’t Expect Much Defense (Saturday, Sept. 12)

Coastal Carolina vs. Kansas Odds

Odds as of Saturday at 7 p.m. ET and via FanDuel. Get up to a $1,000 risk-free bet at FanDuel today or see more offers and reviews for the best online sportsbooks.

The Kansas Jayhawks welcome the Chanticleers  of Coastal Carolina to Lawrence this Saturday, in what should be a pretty intriguing matchup. Last year’s game was a slog, but Coastal Carolina prevailed 12-7.

Les Miles and company will obviously want revenge, but these teams are fairly evenly matched. The result should be a competitive game — and an entertaining sweat to close Saturday's college football betting card.

The first items that must be addressed are recent COVID-19 news and line movement.

Coastal Carolina announced that four of its players have tested positive for COVID-19, but none of those players are starters. Meanwhile, Kansas reported 14 positive tests associated with the football program, but it is unclear how many of those positive cases are student-athletes.

Kansas opened as a 3.5-point favorite, but that line has since moved to Jayhawks -7. Clearly some people think Kansas has the advantage, likely based on recent COVID-19-related news.

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Kansas Jayhawks

Kansas finished last season 3-7, winning only one game in the Big 12. The Jayhawks retain six offensive starters from their 2019 campaign, but the QB position remains a question mark. Nonetheless, the offense should be improved in the second year running Brett Dearmon’s offensive scheme.

Running back Pooka Williams Jr. is clearly the Jayhawks' best player on offense. Williams should be able to put up good numbers against the Chanticleers defense, which gave up 4.4 yards per carry last season.

Kansas generated 1.04 in rushing explosiveness in 2019, which was above the Big 12 league average. On the flip side, Coastal gave up 1.08 in rushing explosiveness last season, which isn’t what you want against Pooka Williams.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Jayhawks have their issues as well. The unit only returns five starters and should continue to be a weakness for the team. Kansas generated a stuff rate of 0.17, which ranked last in the Big 12 last season. The Jayhawks also ranked in the bottom third in both run and pass explosiveness on defense.

Coastal Carolina

The Chanticleers finished with a 5-7 record last season, with one of those wins coming in a 12-7 upset over Kansas in Week 2. The offense returns eight starters, including a 1,000-yard rusher in CJ Marable.

Coastal Carolina also brings back four starting offensive linemen. That experience and year-over-year continuity should enable the Chanticleers' offensive production to steadily improve throughout the year.

As previously stated, the Jayhawks have issues on defense, especially at the line of scrimmage. Last season, Kansas allowed opponents to rush for 4.9 yards per carry, and the Jayhawks gave up 0.88 in rushing explosiveness, which was the second-worst mark in the Big 12.

Betting Analysis & Pick

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To me, this is an even matchup. It’s a juicy revenge spot for Kansas, and it seems like some people think Coastal Carolina is at a disadvantage here. I like getting +7 but that spread is less than ideal at that key number.

However, my favorite bet is the over 55.5. I know last season’s game was 12-7, but I do not see a similar storyline this year. Both teams' primary weakness is on the defensive side of the ball. So, I could definitely see a 35-31 type of game. Tackling has also been a bit spotty in some of these early-season games, so I see this going over 55.5.

Pick: Over 55.5

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