Coastal Carolina vs Liberty Cure Bowl Odds, Lines and Spread

• Coastal Carolina and Liberty faceoff in the Cure Bowl on Saturday, December 26th
• The Chanticleers are looking to finish the season with a perfect 12-0 record
• Read below for the odds, spread and betting pick

No. 12 Coastal Carolina will be making its first-ever bowl appearance when they take on Liberty in the Cure Bowl at Camping World Stadium in Orlando on Boxing Day (7:30 PM EST). The unbeaten Chanticleers are being listed as seven-point favorites.

Both the Chanticleers and Flames are writing remarkable stories this season, and will be hungry to go out with a victory.

Should you bet Grayson McCall and the Chants to cover the spread, or is there value taking the points with Hugh Freeze’s Liberty squad?

Liberty vs Coastal Carolina Cure Bowl Odds

Odds taken Dec. 24th from DraftKings

Chanticleers on Remarkable Run

Coastal Carolina was declared co-champions of the Sun Belt Conference after their title game against Louisiana was cancelled due to a positive COVID-19 test. The Chanticleers finished the regular season with a perfect 11-0 record, including a signature victory over an unbeaten BYU team.

While the Chants have never been to a bowl game, they proved they can rise to the occasion in big-time situations. Coastal’s defense came up with a huge stop on the final play against the Cougars, while the Chants’ offense scored on its final drive against Troy the following week to garner a 42-38 victory.

The Chanticleers are led on offense by R-Fr. QB Grayson McCall, who has thrown for 2,170 yards and 23 touchdowns with only two picks. The young pivot has also rushed for 473 yards and an additional six TDs.

He’s been a perfect fit in Jamey Chadwell’s spread-option offense and has only been sacked nine times behind the Chanticleers’ excellent offensive line.

Flames Have Also Been Hot

While Coastal Carolina is having a historic season, the Flames have also been on a fantastic run of their own.

Liberty went 9-1 in the regular season, with their only defeat being a one-point loss at the hands of NC State. The Flames are making a bowl appearance for the second straight season after winning 23-16 over Georgia Southern in the Cure Bowl last year.

A walk down memory lane, anyone?#BeatCoastal pic.twitter.com/KJVJm6JdpO

— Liberty Football (@LibertyFootball) December 23, 2020

Liberty is led on offense by Auburn-transfer QB Malik Willis, who has thrown for 2,040 yards and 20 touchdowns with four interceptions, while rushing for 807 yards and an additional 10 TDs. Much like the Chanticleers, the Flames are well balanced on offense and have a great rushing attack to compliment the passing game.

Both these teams have been money-making machines this season, but the Flames are on an outstanding 7-0 run against the spread. Coastal is 9-2 ATS, but they failed to cover as 12-point favorites vs Troy last time out.

What’s the Best Bet?

These are two very evenly matched teams that should play a close game. Both the Chanticleers and Flames are averaging around 38 points per game while allowing fewer than 20 points per contest. The one area the Chants have a distinct advantage in is turnovers. Liberty is sporting a decent +3 turnover margin, but the Chanticleers have been exceptional at forcing the ball out of the oppositions hands (+11 turnover margin).

#AmericasTeam https://t.co/lga6gljVJb

— Coastal Football (@CoastalFootball) December 24, 2020

These offenses should have no problems putting up points, so it’ll likely come down to which defense can come up with a few key stops. Coastal’s defensive unit is slightly better overall, but the Flames have been impressive lately, limiting each of their last three opponents to 15 points or less. Coastal’s defense looked vulnerable in its recent win over Troy.

I expect Coastal Carolina to pull out the victory, but the Flames are more than capable of keeping it close. They’ve taken down two ACC teams in Virginia Tech and Syracuse, and have been in this spot before.

Expect Willis and senior RB Joshua Mack to step up in a big way against a Coastal rush defense that has been been gashed for over 200 yards by App State and Louisiana this season. Take the points with the underdog.

Pick: Liberty +7 (-109)