With Jamey Chadwell’s departure and the hire of Tim Beck, the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers could have a very different identity this fall. Can they claim their first outright Sun Belt crown after losing out to Troy in 2022? Our Coastal Carolina season predictions hold the answers.
Coastal Carolina Season Predictions: Predicting the Game-By-Game Results
Using groupthink, College Football Network analysts have painstakingly gone through every game for every team in the Sun Belt and across the country.
Find Every Sun Belt Season Prediction per team: App State | Arkansas State | Coastal Carolina | Georgia Southern | Georgia State | JMU | Louisiana | UL-Monroe | Marshall | ODU | South Alabama | Southern Miss | Texas State | Troy
Picking these games straight up with a projected score using the rosters as up-to-date as the last spring practice, do the Coastal Carolina season predictions predict a return to the Sun Belt title game in 2023?
Week 1 – Coastal Carolina at UCLA: Loss, 26-30
The Chanticleers kick off a new era with a first-ever matchup against UCLA. While Coastal Carolina has the offensive talent to give their Power Five opponent some difficulties, a defense that returns one of the most productive playmakers in the country in Laiatu Latu and added offensive impact makers in the portal and recruiting may just prove too potent to put away in Week 1.
Week 2 – Coastal Carolina vs. Jacksonville State: Win, 33-16
Jacksonville State’s first road game of their fledgling FBS tenure provides a rude awakening for the Gamecocks. Although they’ve proven capable of shocking more fancied teams previously, Grayson McCall might be the best QB they’ll face this season.
Week 3 – Coastal Carolina vs. Duquesne: Win, 47-8
The Chanticleers struggled to dispatch their FCS opponent early in the 2022 college football campaign, but we don’t envisage the same difficulty when Coastal Carolina welcomes Duquesne to Conway in Week 3. This should be the Chants’ most comfortable win of the season.
Week 4 – Coastal Carolina vs. Georgia State: Win, 22-20
Forget the result for one second and just bask in the awesomeness that will be a duel of two of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the nation. While McCall and Darren Grainger should be a joy to behold, the Coastal Carolina ground game could be a difference-maker in the Chants’ first Sun Belt clash.
MORE: Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Coaching Staff 2023
Week 5 – Coastal Carolina at Georgia Southern: Loss, 27-29
There aren’t many potential banana skin games on the Chanticleers’ schedule, and given their three-game win streak against Georgia Southern, this probably shouldn’t be classed as such. Still, the high-volume passing attack under Clay Helton might prove too much for a Coastal Carolina secondary that had its struggles last season and lost its best DB talent.
Week 7 – Coastal Carolina at Appalachian State: Win, 29-14
This has become a “must-see” game on the Sun Belt schedule in recent seasons, producing epic, offensive-laden games. However, Coastal Carolina holds all the ace guards ahead of this installment, and there’s the potential for it to be less close than in the past two editions.
Week 8 – Coastal Carolina at Arkansas State: Win, 34-12
Arkansas State welcomes the Chanticleers to Jonesboro in Week 8 hoping to halt a two-game win streak for Coastal Carolina. However, the Red Wolves have whimpered in the last two clashes, giving up over 50 points in each game. It should be a comfortable win for Beck against Butch Jones’ team.
Week 9 – Coastal Carolina vs. Marshall: Win, 31-22
The Chanticleers keep their momentum rolling in Week 9, casting aside a Marshall team that lost at home to Coastal Carolina last fall. While the Thundering Herd should have an impressive ground game behind Rasheen Ali, their defense can’t hold McCall and his many offensive weapons.
Week 10 – Coastal Carolina at Old Dominion: Win, 29-20
Old Dominion dealt Coastal Carolina their first defeat of the season last year, in a surprising beatdown in Conway. With the Monarchs losing some of their best talent on both sides of the ball, a repeat of that result seems unlikely.
Week 11 – Coastal Carolina vs. Texas State: Win, 39-17
Coastal Carolina has won three straight games against Texas State, including a 2020 wipeout in San Marcos where C.J. Marable had a field day running on the Bobcats’ defense.
While we’re expecting an improved Texas State team this year, they’ll struggle to contain a backfield that is one of the most talented in the Sun Belt.
MORE: Texas State QB Malik Hornsby Relishing ‘Opportunity’ To Showcase Talent with Bobcats
Week 12 – Coastal Carolina at Army: Win, 29-19
We’ve got this game earmarked as an honorable mention “must-see” game on the 2023 college football schedule. If you’re a fan of option football, this is most definitely going to be for you even if the Chanticleers might not look quite the same offensively this season. Another 10-point winning margin seems likely.
Week 13 – Coastal Carolina vs. James Madison: Win, 31-29
The Chanticleers finish off a season where we predict they’ll return to the Sun Belt Championship Game with a win over a James Madison team that embarrassed them in Harrisonburg last November. While we’re not forecasting a sophomore slump for the Dukes, the loss of several key pieces of last season’s standout team has handed Coastal an advantage.
