C. Carolina Chanticleers vs Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Point Spread Picks

On the surface, this Independence Bowl is a matchup of a Sun Belt Conference team in Coastal Carolina against a Conference USA team in Louisiana Tech. But Coastal Carolina has intimate knowledge of the Bulldogs thanks to its interim coach, Jeremiah Johnson. He was Louisiana Tech's defensive coordinator last season. Neither team has a dynamic offense. Louisiana Tech ranks 120th in passing yards and was 71st in scoring, averaging 27.7 points a game. That should come with an asterisk, too, since the Bulldogs led the country with seven defensive touchdowns. Coastal Carolina is ground-oriented, not a passing team—the Chanticleers rank 64th in rushing. Louisiana Tech won't have several of its back-seven defenders because of opt-outs. The Chanticleers faced the 83rd-ranked schedule, while the Bulldogs faced the 130th-toughest schedule, according to Jeff Sagarin's strength-of-schedule rankings. Take Coastal Carolina on the moneyline.