William & Mary (1-0) travels to Conway, South Carolina, to take on Coastal Carolina (1-0) on Saturday, Sept. 7th. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. ET and can be seen live on ESPN+.
While there's no line on this game as of writing, Coastal Carolina is projected to be a favorite of 21.5 points with an over/under of 52.5.
Find my William & Mary vs Coastal Carolina prediction and picks below.
William & Mary vs Coastal Carolina Prediction
- Coastal Carolina vs William & Mary Picks: William & Mary +21 or Better
No odds are available for this game at the time of writing.
William & Mary vs Coastal Carolina Preview
William & Mary Tribe Betting Preview: Plenty of Talent on Offense
William & Mary comes into this game after a solid season-opening win against VMI last week.
Darius Wilson led the Tribe with 190 yards passing and two touchdowns. The ground game was also efficient with 205 yards on 36 carries, paced by Bronson Yoder’s 54 yards and a score.
The Tribe's defense frustrated VMI in the second half as the first four possessions of the half ended after three plays.
W&M is coming off of a disappointing 6-5 season that took a downward turn mostly due to injuries at key offensive positions, including Wilson and Yoder.
DreSean Kendrick also returns from injury at wide receiver, and with all of their offensive firepower back in the lineup, this offense will be a problem for teams all season.
Mike London’s offensive line is also regarded as one of the best in the CAA and returns three full-time starters, plus two others who have starting experience.
However, there's concern that the defensive performance will not match last year’s elite group as only four starters return.
The defensive line is experienced and added two transfers from FBS. The secondary returns two starters ,and the Tribe are expecting Maine transfer Jayden Platt to make an impact.
The weakness is at linebacker. The Tribe lost John Pius to Wisconsin, and Isaiah Jones also departed. With no significant additions, they are going to rely on younger, unproven players to fill the void.
I expect William & Mary to have a nice rebound season and think it'll be an FCS playoff team in London’s sixth year.
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Betting Preview: Week 1 was Impressive
Coastal Carolina was projected to take a step back this season after key losses on offense and defense.
Quarterback Grayson McCall and wide receivers Sam Pinckney and Jared Brown are gone. Linebacker JT Killen and safety Clayton Isbell also departed.
Other contributors are gone and the Chanticleers were looking like a team that'd need to hit the reset button this season.
However, we didn’t see that type of performance in Week 1, as the Chants blasted Jacksonville State on the road to open the 2024 campaign in convincing fashion. The offensive numbers were impressive: 552 yards on 77 plays and 57 rushes for nearly 300 yards on the ground.
Coastal Carolina also received efficient dual-threat play from Ethan Vasko, who threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score. The defensive numbers were also impressive as Jacksonville State was just 1-for-10 on third downs.
Coastal controlled the game throughout, but I'm trying to keep it in perspective and assess whether it's really that good or if Jacksonville State is regressing back to normal — something it avoided last year.
College Football Week 2 Odds: Tribe vs Chanticleers Prediction
Coastal Carolina played its opener on national TV on Thursday night. Meanwhile, W&M played in an untelevised contest that was only seen by those with paid subscription access. As a result, I'm sure we'll get an overreaction line.
The projections I have on this game have it lined at 21.5 before accounting for the big CCU win to open the season. FCS lines were released earlier than ever before for Week 1 this year. However, we have now seen books be slow to release subsequent FCS action now that we're in a regular cadence of week-to-week betting.
I will keep tabs on this and assume the game will be released on Saturday morning around 10 a.m. ET.
Anything over 24.5 will warrant a play for me on William and Mary. I'm high on the Tribe this year in FCS play and believe they're a contender in the CAA. I like their run game and the weapons they bring back to support Wilson.
The Tribe are a sneaky good team that's finally healthy and flying somewhat under the radar.
Pick: William & Mary +24.5 (Play to +21)
How to Watch William & Mary vs Coastal Carolina Live: Start Time, TV Channel, Location
| Location: | Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC |
| Date: | Saturday, Sept. 7 |
| Kickoff Time: | 7 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPN+ |
William & Mary vs Coastal Carolina Betting Trends
- William & Mary is 1-0 straight up and against the spread.
- The over is 1-0 in William & Mary's lone game.
- Coastal Carolina is also 1-0 straight up and against the spread.
- The over is also 1-0 in the Chanticleers' only game.
William & Mary vs Coastal Carolina Weather
