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Posted at 9:30 AM EST

7:00 PM EST. Coastal Carolina opened as a three-point favorite but very quickly a steady heap of steam on UMass has now positioned the Chanticleers as a home pooch. We love this situation because the scenario sets up perfectly for Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers are playing their first ever game as a full-fledged FBS participant and they have the opportunity to do so under the lights against an opponent that comes in wounded off a bitter loss at home a week ago. On August 26th, Massachusetts fell 38-35 to visiting Hawaii, who would steal the win with a touchdown in the last minute of play. Though the contest shaped up perfectly for the Minutemen to hit the ground running against a jet-lagged opponent that traveled across five time zones and over 5,000 miles, UMass failed to capitalize and blew a two touchdown lead en route to their jagged defeat. The emotional toll of this loss has yet to be seen but you can be rest assured Coastal Carolina is jacked up for this contest.

Though the Chanticleers have perhaps the most unique name across the country, very little is known about them be it that they are in their transition year at the FBS level. Nevertheless, their profile fits that of a team that can make an immediate splash because they are accustomed to playing at a high level. In 2016, Coastal Carolina finished 10-2 winning their last six contests in a row to round off its season. The two losses for the Chanticleers were settled on both occasions by one point. Both of those losses came against top-10 ranked FCS opponents, one of which was a double overtime inferno against Charleston Southern. The Chanticleers were not eligible for postseason qualification in 2016, as they already secured membership to the Sun Belt Conference in July but had not progressed to full football member. So essentially, they were playing FCS ball but were already a FBS constituent. This year, the Chanticleers will be unable to attend a bowl game by virtue of this arduous process but they can still make a name for themselves in the regular season and it can be derived that they are fully inclined to do so. UMass finished as one of the worst teams in the FBS in 2016 and are one of the lowest ranked clubs in 2017. Coastal Carolina is one of the better teams UMass may face all year and they are certainly in the upper echelons with respect to FCS ensembles. The bias of FBS vs. FCS is one that often jades many public opinions and results in a lot of ripped up tickets. We have seen this is in extremity with North Dakota State defeating Iowa in Kinnick Stadium in 2016. The same line of thinking had been applied there but the Bison had other ideas. However, we must urge all that Coastal Carolina is NO longer a FCS team and they will look to make this clear against a beleaguered UMass team at home in front of an enthusiastic fan base. CC outright gets this call. 

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