October 28th College Football Odds – Picks for Coastal Carolina vs Troy, USF vs ECU on Thursday Night
- Week 9 on the college football calendar kicks off with a pair of games on Thursday night (October 28th)
- #24 Coastal Carolina hosts Troy, while South Florida visits East Carolina
- See below for odds, analysis and best bets for both contests
Thursday night brings us not only an NFL game to sweat, but a pair of college football contests as well. The NCAAF two-game slate is headlined by #24 Coastal Carolina hosting Troy in Sun Belt action, while South Florida visits East Carolina in an AAC matchup.
Week 9 College Football Odds – October 28th
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Troy Trojans | +600 | +18.5 (-115) | O 52.5 (+100) |
| Coastal Carolina Chanticleers | -900 | -18.5 (-105) | U 52.5 (-120) |
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
| South Florida Bulls | +300 | +9.5 (-105) | O 56 (-115) |
| East Carolina Pirates | -400 | -9.5 (-115) | U 56 (-105) |
Odds as of Oct. 26th at DraftKings.
The Chanticleers are currently 18.5-point favorites over the Trojans, in a contest that features a total of 52.5. Kickoff time is scheduled for 7:30 pm ET at Brooks Stadium in Conway, South Carolina, with ESPN2 providing the broadcast coverage. The forecast is currently calling for light rain and 54 degree night time temperatures.
Troy and Coastal Carolina Stay Under the Total
The Sun Belt tilt features the top two defenses in the conference. Coastal Carolina enters play allowing a Sun Belt low 17.1 points per game, and prior to last week, had allowed 20 points or less in four of six contests.
The Chanticleers will be looking to rebound from its first loss of the season, as they were defeated 30-27 by Appalachian State on a last second field goal. Coastal Carolina boasts by far the best offense of any Sun Belt squad, scoring 45.7 points per game, while averaging 523 yards per outing.
2021 College FB Team Points Per Game
1. Ohio State 48.5
2. Coastal Carolina 48.2
3. Alabama 44.5
4. Cincinnati 43.8
5. Pittsburgh 42.6
6. Mississippi 41.6
7. Texas 41.6
8. Michigan 38.5
9. Georgia 38.4
10. Wake Forest 38.2— The Buckeye Nut (@TheBuckeyeNut) October 21, 2021
The program is incredibly balanced averaging 291 yards through the air, and 232 yards on the ground, and prior to last week had outscored their opponents by an average of 33 points through the first six games of the season.
Appalachian State was the first top-85 team they’ve encountered all season, which lends credence to the notion that the Chanticleers’ record and ranking were both severely inflated. The Mountaineers held Coastal Carolina to season-lows in both points (27) and yards (346). The matchup versus the Trojans isn’t quite so difficult on paper, although Troy does boast a stronger defense than Appalachian State.
JUST IN: Coastal Carolina drops 10 spots in this week's AP Poll ahead of a home matchup against Troy on Thursday. #ChantsUp pic.twitter.com/LAKEGu1vJE
— WMBF News (@wmbfnews) October 24, 2021
The Trojans rank 30th in defensive efficiency per ESPN’s FPI, and are surrendering just 19.6 points per game. They’re especially stout versus the run, ranking 13th in rushing defense, while yielding a measly 2.6 yards per carry.
Offensively however, is a different story. Troy ranks 119th in offensive efficiency and has scored 21 points or less in four of its last six outings. The only two times they’ve cleared 21 points during that stretch was versus Georgia State and Texas State, who both rank bottom-16 in the entire FBS in scoring defense.
Pick: Under 52.5 (-120)
East Carolina Covers vs South Florida
Thursday’s AAC matchup between the Bulls and Pirates features a total of 56, with East Carolina favored by 9.5-points. Kickoff for this contest is scheduled for 7:30 pm ET at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, North Carolina, with a perfect night for football in store. The forecast currently calls for clear skies and 61 degree night time temperatures, while ESPN will have the broadcast coverage.
The Pirates have lost back-to-back outings following a three-game winning streak. Those losses came against UCF and Houston, two of the four strongest teams in the conference, but Thursday’s contest presents a much more favorable matchup.
Week 8 Performance
QB Holton Ahlers – ECU
• 283 Passing yards 2 TDs
• 1 rushing TD pic.twitter.com/KOnCVcZjdU— NCAAF Nation (@NCAAFNation247) October 26, 2021
South Florida ranks 115th in defensive efficiency and is yielding over 32 points per game. Their biggest defensive weakness is in the secondary, and East Carolina is well equipped to expose the Bulls defensive backs. Pirates QB Holton Ahlers averages 269 passing yards per contest, while East Carolina ranks fifth in the AAC in points per game.
On the other side of the ball, South Florida ranks 98th in points per game, and 99th in total offense. They’ve failed to eclipse 20 points in three of seven contests, and prefer to run the ball, which plays right into the Pirates’ defensive strengths. East Carolina is surrendering only 4.2 yards per carry this season, and are much more susceptible versus the pass. The Pirates rank 10th out of 11 AAC programs in pass defense, but Bulls starting QB Timmy Mcclain is completing just 56.9% of his passes, while clearing 186 yards in only one of seven contests.
Pick: East Carolina Pirates -9.5 (-115)
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
