Hawai’i Bowl: Coastal Carolina vs San Jose State Odds, and Picks (Dec 23)

• Coastal Carolina lost their last two games, but still reached bowl eligibility.
• San Jose State enters this game red-hot, after winning six straight games.
• This will be the first time in program history that these two teams face off.

College football has made it to the bowl games! Let’s preview the 2023 Hawai’i Bowl between the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers and the San Jose State Spartans, two Group of 5 teams that are 7-5 on the season.

How to Watch

• ESPN

Preview

Coastal Carolina had another solid season in the Sun Belt, finishing 7-5 on the year. They lost their final two games, but still went 5-2 over the last couple of months. 5-year QB Grayson McCall announced he would be departing to play for NC State in his “Super Senior” year, ending his long Chanticleers career. They’ll look to kick off the post-McCall era with a bowl win against a scorching-hot San Jose State team.

San Jose State started the season just 1-5, looking like they were going to finish last in the Mountain West conference. They shifted into a second gear as the season hit its midway point, winning six straight games down the stretch. They wound up in a 3-way tie for the conference lead, but missed out on the title game due to questionable computer metrics. They’ll enter this game motivated to prove those rankings wrong.

Prediction

The Spartans’ red-hot play down the stretch has certainly made an impact on the spread in this game, as has the departure of Chanticleers QB Grayson McCall. I’d be hesitant to take any team to cover a spread as large as this after 2-3 weeks off without a game. I do expect San Jose State to eventually run away with this one, but it may not be a total blowout. I’ll take the Spartans to win this game by about two scores.

NCAAF Picks:

• San Jose State 37, Coastal Carolina 27 ()