Teams with a lot of bowl experience clash when the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers battle the East Carolina Pirates in Tuesday's 2022 Birmingham Bowl at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala. The Chanticleers (9-3), who won the Sun Belt East Division title, are taking part in their third consecutive bowl game. They defeated Northern Illinois 47-41 in last season's Cure Bowl. The Pirates (7-5), who placed sixth in the American Athletic Conference, will play in their 21st bowl all-time, but first since the 2014 season when they lost to Florida 28-20 in the Birmingham Bowl. Quarterback Grayson McCall will play for the Chanticleers before entering the transfer portal. Chad Staggs is serving as the interim head coach for Coastal Carolina after Jamey Chadwell left for Liberty.
Kickoff is set for 6:45 p.m. ET. Coastal Carolina averages 411.2 yards per game, while ECU averages 459. The Pirates are favored by 7 points in the latest Coastal Carolina vs. East Carolina odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 66. Before locking in any East Carolina vs. Coastal Carolina picks, make sure you check out the college football predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past six-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $2,500 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has locked in on ECU vs. Coastal Carolina and just revealed its Birmingham Bowl 2022 predictions. You can head to SportsLine to see the model's picks. Here are the CFB odds and betting lines for Coastal Carolina vs. ECU:
- Coastal Carolina vs. East Carolina spread: East Carolina -7
- Coastal Carolina vs. East Carolina over/under: 66 points
- Coastal Carolina vs. East Carolina money line: Coastal Carolina +222, East Carolina -278
- CCU: The Over is 4-0 in the Chanticleers last four December games
- ECU: The Pirates are 4-0 against the spread in their last four non-conference games
- Coastal Carolina vs. East Carolina picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why East Carolina can cover
Graduate transfer wide receiver Isaiah Winstead leads the receiving corps with 82 receptions for 1,013 yards (12.4 average) and four touchdowns. Winstead, who played the last two seasons at Toledo, began his collegiate career at Norfolk State. As a freshman, he had 54 receptions for 633 yards and five touchdowns. In his two seasons at Toledo, he combined for 63 catches for 949 yards and four scores, before joining the Pirates. This season he has caught at least five passes in each game but one, including a season-high 11 for 143 yards and a touchdown vs. Navy in a 23-20 double-overtime loss on Sept. 24.
Junior inside receiver C.J. Johnson has also been one of the team's top targets. He is second in receptions with 60 for 933 yards (15.6 average) and nine touchdowns. Johnson has caught at least three passes in all but one game, including a season-high 11 receptions for 140 yards (12.7 average) and one touchdown in a 34-13 win over Central Florida on Oct. 22. He caught seven passes for 197 yards (28.1 average) and four scores in a 48-28 win over South Florida on Oct. 1.
Why Coastal Carolina can cover
Senior redshirt wide receiver Sam Pinckney leads the Chanticleers with 67 receptions for 917 yards (13.7 average) and three touchdowns. He is coming off an 11-catch, 81-yard and one-touchdown performance against Troy in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game. He has had four games with 100 or more yards receiving, including a nine-catch, 133-yard effort in a 28-21 win at Louisiana-Monroe on Oct. 8. The Georgia State transfer has 180 receptions in his five-year career for 2,585 yards (14.4 average) and 16 touchdowns.
Defensively, Coastal Carolina has been led by redshirt junior Mike linebacker JT Killen. Killen leads the team with 90 tackles, including 31 solo, with 2.5 sacks for 20 yards. He has three pass breakups, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries. He has had three games with double-digit tackles, including a 13-tackle performance at Louisiana-Monroe. In that game, he made five solo stops, with one sack, two fumble recoveries and one pass breakup.
How to make Coastal Carolina vs. ECU picks
The model is leaning Over on the total, projecting 67 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits more than 50% of the time. You can see who to back at SportsLine.
So who wins ECU vs. Coastal Carolina? And which side of the spread hits more than 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread to back, all from the advanced model that has been crushing its top-rated college football picks, and find out.
