• It’s made-for-TV mediocrity when 6-6 Coastal Carolina meets 6-6 UTSA in the Myrtle Beach Bowl on Monday morning
• The AAC’s Roadrunners are big favorites over the Sun Belt’s Chanticleers
• See the Coastal Carolina vs UTSA predictions, picks, and best odds for Dec. 23

It wasn’t a banner year for either the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (6-6, 5-7 ATS) or the UTSA Roadrunners (6-6, 6-6 ATS) but both are bowl-bound for the fifth straight season, squaring off in the Myrtle Beach Bowl on Monday, Dec. 23, from Brooks Stadium in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, at 11 am ET. With the Chanticleer roster ravaged by opt-outs and transfers  – including their QB1 and QB2 – the Roadrunners are 11.5-point favorites in the latest NCAAF odds.

Coastal Carolina vs UTSA Prediction

• CCU +11.5 (-105) at FanDuel
  

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The CCU vs UTSA odds opened with the Roadrunners as 6.5-point favorites but the line has moved nearly a touchdown due to all the opt-outs and transfers on the Coastal Carolina side. Not only has starting QB Ethan Vasko (2,120 yards, 14 touchdowns, 8 interceptions)  entering the transfer portal, his backup, Noah Kim (333 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 interception), is also out the door along with freshman DJ Moore. That leaves two other freshmen QBs on the roster, Tad Hudson and Alex Walker, neither of whom threw a pass in his rookie season.

Hudson, a four-star recruit out of North Carolina, is expected to get the start, according to head coach Tim Beck. The good news for Hudson is that he’ll have most of CCU’s key weapons available. Neither RB1 Braydon Bennett (112 carries, 727 yards) nor Christian Washington (102 carries, 537 yards) is on NCAAF bowl game opt-out list. The team’s top-five pass catchers should all be available too, including 6’2 junior Jameson Tucker, who led the Chanticleers with 540 yards and six receiving TDs.

On the UTSA side, the biggest absences are depth running back Kevorian Barnes (78 carries, 221 yards) and tight end Oscar Cardenas (13 catches, 141 yards, 3 touchdowns), which is nothing more than a paper cut to their roster.

UTSA had a tougher NCAAF strength schedule than CCU this season. Their lone power conference opponent was Texas (a 56-7 loss) while CCU scheduled Virginia (a 43-24 loss). UTSA also had to contend with Army in its final game of the season, putting up a solid effort in a 29-24 road loss to the Black Knights, who went 8-0 in the  AAC.

But the opt outs of a middling Ethan Vasko doesn’t justify a line shift this big. Hudson is a much more highly-touted recruit than the outgoing sophomore, and I don’t expect a big drop-off. UTSA (92nd, -5.7) sits just two spots higher than CCU (94th, -6.1) in ESPN’s Football Power Index.

Coastal Carolina vs UTSA  Odds

There is a half-point range in the CCU vs UTSA point spread. The vast majority of books have the line at UTSA -11.5 but ESPN Bet has it down at -11.0 with -110 odds both ways. The best option for bettors backing CCU against the spread is +11.5 (-105) at FanDuel.

Not coincidentally, FanDuel also has the longest moneyline price available for a Coastal Carolina victory at +340. The best UTSA moneyline is currently -380 at DraftKings.

The game total is 55.5 at most sites but as high as 56.0 at bet365 and Caesars.

The NCAAF public betting splits show the public wary of CCU’s in-flux roster. The Roadrunners are currently getting 77% of ATS handle. The public also likes the under, with 78% of O/U handle on the under less than 24 hours before kickoff.

The post Coastal Carolina vs UTSA Prediction, Pick & Best Bets for Myrtle Beach Bowl appeared first on Sports Betting Dime.