The 2023 Hawai’i Bowl is the last bowl game until Christmas. We have the 7-5 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers going up against the 7-5 San Jose Spartans. Coastal Carolina comes into this one losing their last two games. The Chanticleers have appeared in 3 bowl games in their program’s history. They have a 1-2 record in those games. San Jose State comes into this one winning six straight games. The Spartans have appeared in 10 bowl games in their program’s history. They have a 5-5 record in those bowl games. San Jose State comes in as a 9.5 point favorite with the over/under set at 49. Here is my preview for the 2023 Hawai’i Bowl. 

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

The Chanticleers average 28 points per game and 432.3 total yards. Coastal Carolina won’t have starting quarterback Grayson McCall, who entered the transfer portal and committed to NC State. They will start third string quarterback Ethan Vasko. Vasko appeared in seven games and started in three of them, and he had thrown 580 passing yards to go along with 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. He also added 318 rushing yards on 6.9 yards per carry and 2 rushing touchdowns. The good news for Vasko is that their leading receiver Sam Pinckney is playing in the bowl game. Pinckney has 64 receptions to go along with 904 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns on the season. The Chanticleers have shown potential and I think Vasko has a chance to have a good game here in the Hawai’i Bowl. 

Defensively, the Chanticleers had a down season. They allowed 24.7 points per game to go along with 389.8 total yards of offense. The Chanticleers allowed 30+ points three times this season. In those three games they had an 0-3 record. Coastal Carolina’s best defensive player has to be safety Clayton Isbell. He will be essential in Coastal Carolina’s effort to stop this San Jose State offense. We will need to see this defense look like they did at the beginning of the season if they want to win this bowl matchup. 

San Jose State Spartans

The Spartans put together a good season in the Mountain West. Offensively, they average 33.3 points per game and 416.3 yards per game. This offense runs through quarterback Chevan Cordeiro. Cordeiro has thrown for 2,558 passing yards to go along with 19 passing touchdowns and 4 interceptions. He has had a stellar season and that has been solely based on the fact that they can get their rushing attack going at any time. They are led by running back Kairee Robinson (1,124 rushing yards, 7.2 yards per carry and 18 rushing touchdowns).

As good as Robinson has been, his backup Quali Conley has been great as well. Conley has rushed for 809 rushing yards on 6.4 yards per carry and 8 rushing touchdowns. The Spartans rushing attack is essential to their winning ways. They have been stellar during their six game winning streak and will need to be good if the Spartans want to win their first bowl game since 2015.

Defensively, the Spartans had a great season. San Jose allowed 25.8 points per game and allowed 368.1 total yards of offense per game. The Spartans rank in the top 50 in passing yards allowed as they have given up just a little over 180 passing yards per game. San Jose State has given up 30+ points five times this season. They have a 1-4 record in those games. During their six game winning streak, they have only allowed 17.8 points per game which is a hard feature to do in today’s college football landscape. If the Spartans are going to win this game, their defense will have to be a big reason why. 

Betting Trends

-Coastal Carolina is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games.

-The under is 8-4 in Coastal Carolina’s last 12 games.

-San Jose State is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games.

-The over is 9-4 in San Jose State’s last 13 games.

The Don’s Best Bet 

I have one official play here in the Hawai’i Bowl. My official play is over 49 -108 odds for one unit. I love the over here as there will be points scored on the island. San Jose State’s offense will have a field day and I think Coastal can get the necessary amount of points for this over to hit. Ride this over to the cash counter to get a little extra money for Christmas.