The South Carolina Gamecocks will begin their 2018 season against an in-state foe, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. Kickoff is set for noon EST on Saturday, September 1, at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. The game can be seen on the SEC Network.
According to the Week 1 odds, The Gamecocks are 29.5-point favorites, which is lower after South Carolina opened at -35. The over/under for the game is set at 57 points.
The Gamecocks are coming off an impressive 2017 campaign under Will Muschamp. South Carolina finished second in the SEC East last year, going 9-4, including a win over Michigan in the Outback Bowl. Of course, maintaining that kind of success is the next step for Muschamp in his third season in Columbia.
Coastal Carolina, meanwhile, is still new to the FBS level. Last year was CCU’s first as a member of the Sun Belt. Predictably, it was a bit of a struggle. The Chanticleers went 3-9, going 2-6 in Sun Belt play. However, they won their last two games of the season, creating some positive momentum heading into 2018. Head coach Joe Moglia is also back with the team after spending last season on medical leave, which could help Coastal Carolina take a step forward.
The only other meeting between these teams came in 2013 when Coastal Carolina was still an FCS program. The Gamecocks won that game 70-10. But the Chanticleers have come a long way in the last five years, so this could be a good litmus test for their program.
Even with the line of this game starting to fall, this is still a tough matchup to call. Under Muschamp, the Gamecocks haven’t been the kind of team that can blow away inferior opponents, as they don’t have a high-powered offense. However, the Chanticleers suffered some lopsided losses last season against mediocre teams. I just don’t think they’re ready to be on the same field as an SEC team that’s also on the cusp of the top-25. I’ll lean toward the Gamecocks to win by at least 30 and cover the spread.
Whether South Carolina can cover the spread in this game is going to come down to their offense. The Gamecocks were 12th out of 14 in the SEC last year in scoring points, which is beyond puzzling for a team that went 9-4. However, with a new offensive coordinator in Bryan McClendon who has installed a high-tempo offense, I can see the Gamecocks having success on offense against a team like Coastal Carolina.
Despite the new scheme, the Gamecocks will return most of their key offensive players from a season ago. Jake Bentley has been the starting quarterback for the past year and a half, and he brings both experience and accuracy to the table. Outside of tight end Hayden Hurst, South Carolina brings back their top four receivers from a year ago, which means Bentley should have good chemistry with the players who will be catching his passes. Also, with three seniors starting on the offensive line, the Gamecocks hope to average more than 3.9 yards per carry on the ground like they did last year.
Of course, it’s important to factor in how the Coastal Carolina defense will match up against an average but experienced South Carolina offense. The Chanticleers only bring back four starters from a defense that allowed 34 points per game a season ago. The other big concern for CCU is their lack of size up front. The Chanticleers don’t have a starter on their defensive line who weighs over 300 pounds. That could lead to problems against South Carolina’s offensive line, who may be able to push them around without much of a hassle.
Unfortunately for Coastal Carolina, they may have a similar problem on the other side of the ball. The Chanticleers are expected to start four sophomores along the offensive line. That will give them one of the youngest offensive lines in the country. Also, it’s not as if those sophomores are all four-star recruits who are physically ready to face an SEC defense. It’s almost a given that Muschamp will have his defense ready for the start of the season. The Gamecocks could very easily overwhelm the CCU offensive line with speed and athleticism, creating a world of problems.
Even if the Chanticleers can hold their own at the line of scrimmage, the quarterback position remains a huge mystery for them. Senior Kilton Anderson is the incumbent, although six different quarterbacks had a chance in 2017. Anderson finished the year as the starter but completed just 45% of his passes. He was just 6 for 17 against SEC opponent Arkansas, a team whose defense is nowhere near the level of the South Carolina defense. That doesn’t exactly bode well for CCU heading into their season opener against the Gamecocks.
Despite the sizable line on this game, this is too much of a mismatch not to swallow the points. I’m still not sold on the South Carolina offense, but I’d be surprised to see Coastal Carolina manage more than six or seven points in this game. That should allow the Gamecocks to score enough points to cover the 29.5-point spread.