Liberty vs. Coastal Carolina Prediction, Odds and Key Players to Watch for College Football Week 4

Week 4 of the 2026 college football season begins on Thursday night, as the Liberty Flames play a standalone out of conference game against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.

Coastal Carolina is off to a 1-2 start this season, losing against West Virginia and Delaware in one-possession games. The Chanticleers are set as home underdogs in this matchup with the Flames, who rebounded nicely from their season-opening loss to James Madison by blowing out both Gardner-Webb and Ball State.

Quarterback Deshawn Purdie threw three touchdowns in the 51-15 win over Ball State, putting the Flames in a good spot in Conference USA early in the campaign.

Both these teams rank well outside the top-100 in net adjusted EPA/Play this season, but the Liberty offense has been a lot more successful than Coastal’s through three games.

Here’s a look at the odds, a player to watch and my prediction for this early-week matchup in college football.

Liberty vs. Coastal Carolina Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Liberty -2.5 (-112)
Coastal Carolina +2.5 (-108)

Moneyline

Liberty: -142
Coastal Carolina: +120

Total

52.5 (Over -105/Under -115)

Liberty vs. Coastal Carolina How to Watch

Date: Thursday, Sept. 24
Time: 7:30 p.m. EST
Venue: Brooks Stadium
How to Watch (TV): ESPN
Liberty record: 2-1
Coastal Carolina record: 1-2

Liberty vs. Coastal Carolina Key Player to Watch

Makai Jackson, Wide Receiver, Liberty

Flames wideout Makai Jackson is one of the best big-play threats in Conference USA, catching nine passes this season for 230 yards and three scores.

While Liberty hasn’t exactly been an elite passing offense (it’s completing just 56.9 percent of its passes in 2026), it does have seven passing scores with Deshawn Purdie (five passing scores) averaging over eight yards per attempt.

Jackson should have a big game against a defense that is 98th in the country in adjusted net EPA/Play on defense this season. The Chanticleers are better against the pass (52nd in success rate) than the run (80th in success rate), but Jackson has been a big-play threat with at least one score in every game in 2026.

Liberty vs. Coastal Carolina Prediction and Pick

Coastal Carolina is off to a slow start in the 2026 season, though it did play West Virginia close in Week 1.

Liberty is a slight step down in class, but the Flames’ offense may be too much to handle. Liberty ranks 37th in the country in EPA/Rush and 53rd in offensive success rate. Coastal has struggled against the run, ranking 96th in EPA/Rush on defense.

The Chanticleers are also coming off a 14-point showing against Delaware, dropping them to 123rd in the country in EPA/Play and 130th in offensive success rate. While Liberty is outside the top-100 in EPA/Play on defense, I’m not sold on this Chanticleers offense with quarterback Deuce Bailey completing just over 55 percent of his passes.

Coastal is just 128th in the country in third down and fourth down success rate and it ranks 115th in early downs EPA/Play.

I think the Liberty offense is the best unit in this game, and I’ll back it with this spread set inside a field goal.

Pick: Liberty Moneyline (-142 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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