Coastal Carolina vs. Troy picks, best bets for Sun Belt Championship

The 2022 Sun Belt Conference Championship Game will take place on Saturday as the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers will take on the Troy Trojans at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game will take place at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Troy, AL, and will air on ESPN.

Coastal Carolina (9-2, 6-2 Sun Belt) is looking to pick up its third straight double-digit win season and a second league title in three years with a win on Saturday. The Chanticleers’ unique, shotgun-option offense once again carved up opposing defenses throughout the season, with their lone setbacks coming against conference newcomers Old Dominion and James Madison. Senior quarterback Grayson McCall earned Sun Belt Player of the Year honors for a third straight season, throwing for 2,314 yards and 21 touchdowns through the air and added four additional touchdowns on the ground. Unfortunately for him and Coastal, he has been sidelined for the past few weeks with a foot injury and is looking doubtful for the league title game.

Troy (10-2, 7-1 Sun Belt) was a surprise team coming out of the West division and experienced a huge turnaround under first-year head coach Jon Sumrall. After falling to Appalachian State on a last-second Hail Mary in September, the Trojans punished the rest of their opponents and rattled off nine straight victories to end the season. Defense is what carried the Trojans throughout the year as they ended the season with the eight ranked unit in defensive SP+. The front seven recorded 38 sacks and were led by defensive end T.J. Jackson and linebacker Richard Jibunor.

Here’s all the data you’ll want, and a pick for the game!

SP+ Rankings

Coastal Carolina: 69 overall, 45 offense, 88 defense
Troy: 44 overall, 107 offense, 8 defense

Injury update

Coastal Carolina

QB Grayson McCall - Doubtful (Foot)

Troy

No new injuries to report.

ATS/Total

Against The Spread

Coastal Carolina: 4-6-1 ATS
Troy: 9-3 ATS

Total

Coastal Carolina: Over 6-5
Troy: Over 5-7

Current lines at DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread: Troy -8
Total: 48
Moneyline: Troy -305, Coastal Carolina +255

Opening line: Troy -7
Opening total: 48

Weather

75 degrees, partly sunny with a shower, 7 MPH winds SW

The Pick

Coastal Carolina +8

Troy is understandably a home favorite here. Coastal Carolina will most likely be without Grayson McCall in this one and there’s the looming prospect of head coach Jamey Chadwell possibly bolting for Liberty immediately after this matchup. However, blowing teams out hasn’t been the Trojans’ style and while they boast a top 10 defense, their offense is a bottom 30 unit in the entire nation. Expect them to keep the Chanticleers at an arm’s length, but close enough where CCU can cover here.