The 2026 college football regular season continues today, as two rivals from the old Big South Conference meet at Brooks Stadium (SC) in Conway, South Carolina, at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. Let’s build our bankroll with our best college football picks & predictions for Thursday’s clash between the Flames and Chanticleers.
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Thursday’s Best College Football Picks & Predictions (Week 4)
Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook | All bets are for 1 unit
Liberty Flames (-140) at Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (+116) | O/U 50.5 (-110/-110)
The Flames (2-1) and Chanticleers (1-2) meet for the first time since an epic Cure Bowl matchup in Orlando on December 26th, 2020, when Liberty picked up a 37-34 victory. The last time these teams met in Conway, Coastal routed Liberty 42-7. Liberty holds an 8-7 all-time series lead dating back to when these teams faced each other in the Big South Conference.
Liberty head coach Jamey Chadwell led Coastal Carolina to some notoriety as an FBS team, and he left for the Flames job after the 2022 season. He posted back-to-back 11-win seasons at Coastal Carolina, and he had the Chanticleers ranked as high as No. 9 in the AP Top 25 College Football Poll in 2020 before the Cure Bowl loss, their only setback that season. Chadwell and Coastal Carolina won the Cure Bowl in 2021. He finished with 31 wins in 37 games in his final two seasons with the program. He moved to Liberty and helped the Flames reach the Fiesta Bowl and finish with a 13-1 record. However, the Flames have fallen on hard times lately, going 8-4 in 2024, including a loss in the Bahamas Bowl, and finishing 4-8 last season.
Liberty has managed a 2-1 record this season, but it barely escaped against Gardner-Webb University on September 12th, coming nowhere near covering as 29.5-point favorites, as the under (55.5) cashed. The Flames won 51-15 against Ball State last week, covering as a 14.5-point favorite, as the over (49.5) hit. The only loss for the Flames came on September 5th at James Madison - a 20-13 loss as 5.5-point underdogs, as the under (50.5) cashed.
Coastal Carolina suffered a 22-14 loss to Delaware last week, and it is 0-2 straight up (SU)/1-1 against the spread (ATS) in two road outings to date. The only home game so far is a 45-7 victory over Fordham of the FCS, cashing as a 36.5-point favorite, as the under (53.5) connected.
Chanticleers quarterback Deuce Bailey has done his part, completing 55.7% of his passes for 826 yards, eight touchdowns and zero interceptions, while running for 82 yards through three games. He has connected with receivers Clayton Coppock Jr. and Colton Hinton for three touchdowns apiece.
Flames quarterback Deshawn Purdie has completed 56.3% of his passes for 563 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions. Receiver Makai Jackson has nine receptions for 230 yards and three touchdowns.
Liberty lost its only road game so far, while Coastal Carolina was impressive at home, albeit against an FCS foe. You can expect the fanbase to be excited about Chadwell’s return to the turquoise turf, and in a positive way for the Chanticleers. The crowd will be a bit hostile to the Flames and Chadwell, who is now their Lane Kiffin. Coastal Carolina wants this game, and it is worth backing them on the Moneyline as home underdogs, as Bailey and Coastal Carolina should be able to move the sticks frequently. We’ll go with the over, too.
Picks: Coastal Carolina Moneyline (+116) & Over 50.5 Points (-110)
Joe Williams is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Joe, check out his archive and follow him @winwithjoe