In what promises to be a massively important game for the favorites, San Jose State squares off with Coastal Carolina in the 2023 Hawaii Bowl, and we're offering our top Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State prediction based on the best college football odds.
Only seven years removed from its ascension to the FBS level, Coastal Carolina (7-5) plays in its fourth bowl game in a row, this time under first-year head coach Tim Beck. However, the program isn't at full strength for this meeting against the favored San Jose State.
With multiple Coastal Carolina star players opting out of the Hawaii Bowl, including starting quarterback Grayson McCall, San Jose State is a fairly significant favorite.
The Spartans are making back-to-back bowl appearances for the first time since the '80s, and they'll look to cash in on their favorite status.
As part of our look at all college bowl game odds and our college football prop picks for Saturday, here is our best Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State prediction and our college football picks for Saturday's Hawaii Bowl (odds via our best college football betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State prediction: Hawaii Bowl
Before injuries and opt-outs compounded Coastal Carolina's frustrating season, this game was already anticipated to be heavily lopsided. Now, the remaining players of Saturday's underdog team must face off against one of the most formidable teams in the nation, spearheaded by a record-breaking quarterback with significant stakes on the line.
San Jose State got off to a rough 1-5 start after a tricky non-conference schedule, but the Spartans ripped off six straight wins in conference play behind sixth-year QB Chevan C ordeiro, who combined for 1,211 yards and 13 touchdowns to just one interception in that stretch.
Saturday's Hawaii Bowl also serves as a homecoming for Cordeiro, a Honolulu native who starred at local powerhouse Saint Louis (HS) before spending the first four years of his collegiate career with the Hawaii Warriors. He could make history in his hometown, as he needs 179 total yards to move into the top 20 on college football's all-time leaderboard (13,537).
With more than 30 friends and relatives in attendance, Cordeiro put on a show in a 35-0 rout over Hawaii on Oct. 28, throwing for 251 yards and two touchdowns in arguably his best game of the season. As fate would have it, he'll have another chance to shine in what he knows will be the last collegiate game of his storied career.
Cordeiro will have to make do without star lineman Fernando Carmona and tight end Dominick Mazotti, who have entered the tr ansfer portal. But that pales in comparison to the attrition on the other side.
McCall, the three-time Sun Belt Player of the Year, missed the Chanticleers' final five games and has since departed to NC State. He's one of roughly two dozen players for Coastal Carolina who have entered the portal – a list that includes backup QB Jarrett Guest (82.4 QBR), dynamic receiver and punt returner Jared Brown (1,061 total yards), and fifth-year linebacker JT Killen (65 tackles), among others.
Color me surprised if fill-in QB Ethan Vasko – whose adjusted completion rate (63.6%) ranks 164th out of 189 passers with at least 75 dropbacks – is able to keep pace with a San Jose State offense that ranks 23rd in the country in EPA per play, especially without some of his top playmakers on the field.
Consider that Saturday's weather is also expected to bring gusts approaching 20 mph. That environment would still favor the Spartans, who rank 20th in EPA per rushing play and face a Chanticleers defense in the bottom 20 in that metric even before opt-outs.
This game clearly means a lot to Cordeiro and head coach Brett Brennan – cousin of former Hawaii QB Colt Brennan – whose collegiate coaching career began in Honolulu. FanDuel is the only one of our best sportsbooks still dealing San Jose State at this price, and I wouldn't be surprised if this number is gone before kickoff.
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Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State best odds
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SJSU -10.5 | SJSU -9.5 | SJSU -10.5 | SJSU -10 | SJSU -10 |
| -108 | -120 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
While San Jose State opened as 7-point favorites, all but one of our best sports betting sites are dealing the Spartans as double-digit chalk. The lone exception, as usual, is FanDuel, which tends to offer value in spots like this more than any other shop.
If you don't feel like paying -120 for the hook – though we'd highly recommend it in this case – you can still bet San Jose State at -10 flat with both Caesars and bet365. Before deciding which book to use, it's worth checking out our best sportsbook promos to see which will give you the biggest return on your wager.
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Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State odds
Coastal Carolina vs. San Jose State odds analysis
San Jose State opened this game as a 7-point favorite, and that number has jumped anywhere from -9.5 to -10.5 across our best sports betting apps after a number of key Coastal Carolina players entered their names into the transfer portal.
Those moves have also influenced movement on the total, which opened at 54.5 but is dealing as low as 51.5 via FanDuel and as high as 52.5 via Caesars. As always, it pays to shop for the best price at top college football betting sites.
Hawaii Bowl game info
- When: Saturday, Dec. 23 at 10:30 p.m. ET
- Where: Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, Honolulu
- How to watch: ESPN
- Weather: 76 degrees, 17-mph winds, 0% chance of precipitation
< p class=''>Coastal Carolina-San Jose State prediction made Thursday at 6:30 a.m. ET.
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