Way-too-early Top 25 projections for 2021 college football season

Coastal Carolina was one of the few pleasant surprises of the 2020 season, as they started 11-0 before falling to Liberty in an overtime Cure Bowl thriller. The Chanticleers have some work to do rebuilding their roster after veteran talent departs in the offseason, but Jamey Chadwell’s team should still be one of the teams to beat in the Sun Belt. That will put them in the thick of the New Year’s Six race among Group of Five teams and into the preseason AP Top 25 for the first time ever.

A big reason for the excitement in Conway heading into the 2021 season is the emergence of quarterback Grayson McCall. The dual-threat quarterback went 172-of-250 for 2488 yards with 26 passing touchdowns and only three interceptions, and he added 569 rushing yards and seven scores on the ground. McCall’s development should help mitigate the loss of running back CJ Marable. Five starters are also gone from a defense that allowed only 20.2 points per game.

For the third straight season, Coastal Carolina gets to play Kansas for a chance to make a nominal Power Five statement. The Chanticleers also play top MAC team Buffalo on the road, along with home games against UMass and FCS The Citadel out of conference. Avoiding Louisiana in interdivisional play will help as well, though Coastal Carolina takes on Appalachian State on the road this year.