Season launch: Top showdowns you can't miss in Week 1

When: Thursday, August 29th at 8:00 PM ET Location: AmFirst Stadium in Jacksonville, Alabama TV: CBS Sports Network Betting Line (DraftKings): Jacksonville State -3.5 Last Meeting: Coastal Carolina won 30-16(2023) All-Time Series: Tied 1-1

We have another Thursday night matchup as the Sun Belt meets Conference USA once again. This game is between two Group of 5 teams expected to be in the race for their respective conference titles.

These two teams met last year for just the second time ever. Coastal Carolina won but this year's matchup looks different. The Chanticleers are experiencing some major changes heading into 2024.

The biggest change is that CCU will have a new starting quarterback. Program legend Grayson McCall left over the offseason and transferred to North Carolina State. The starting job will be fought between Ethan Vasko and Michigan State transfer Noah Kim.

There's still no word on who will start but Vasko gives the offense a dual-threat option as he passed for 779 yards and ran for 368 more last year.

Whoever gets the starting nod will also have to work with a receiver core that was depleted over the offseason. Leading receptionist Sam Pinckney is now with the Carolina Panthers.

The second-leading target was Jared Brown, who left for South Carolina. Fortunately, all four guys who ranked third to sixth in catches return.

That includes running back Braydon Bennett, Jameson Tucker, Kyre Duplessis, and tight end Kendall Karr. Three starters are back on the offensive line.

The CCU defense also went through a bit of an overhaul. The starters of the three-man defensive line had to be replaced along with one of the linebacker spots as JT Killen left for Eastern Michigan.

Braylon Ryan and Shane Bruce remain however and both will spearhead the linebacking unit from the outside. The secondary is the defense's biggest strength.

Matthew McDoom and Courtney Eubanks will start at the corners. Tobias Fletcher is an excellent free safety who picked off two passes last year. Abraham Temoney is another veteran at safety and the team also brought in Wake Forest transfer AJ Williams will be expected to contribute to the rotation.

Juan Powell also returns as the nickel back after ranking fourth in tackles last year. Unfortunately, leading tackler Clayton Isbell is gone and is now with the New York Giants.

When it comes to the Gamecocks of Jacksonville State, they also have a quarterback question. Zion Webb's college football career is done.

The starting job will be fought between UConn transfer Zion Turner and last season's backup Logan Smothers. Smothers is the favorite to be the starter since he's been in the system. Last season saw Smothers throw 753 yards and six scores.

Similar to Coastal Carolina, the starting QB will have to work with a core of receivers that was depleted. There were several lost parts. However, they still have PJ Wells and tight end Sean Brown, who's one of the best in Conference USA.

Notable transfers for the core are former Clemson Tiger Brannon Spector and Samario "Flip" Rudolph.

Other than the receivers, everything else remains mostly intact. Both Anwar Lewis and Ron Wiggins return as two good running backs and they will share the load behind an offensive line that returns three starters.

Andrew Paul also comes in from Georgia to be a part of the running back rotation. Moving over to the defense, the front suffered a few big losses. The unit was the biggest reason for the Gamecocks successful 2023 season.

Top pass rusher Chris Hardie left for Ole Miss and Kamari Stephens also left but for Arkansas State. Senior end J-Rock Swain remains and will be a problem on the line.

Other than Swain, Jacksonville State will have to depend on unproven commodities to produce on the defensive line. There is size with the others who will work in and out of the rotation.

The linebackers are fine, especially with the return of Leletia Hale for his senior season. He had 60 tackles last season. While the front will make room, the plays will come from the linebackers.

The secondary also has reshuffling to do as several top defensive backs either transferred or had their eligibility run out. The plus is that the unit still has corner Derek Carter and safety Fred Perry, who will lead.

As far as this year's matchup is concerned, Jacksonville State has the edge, on paper. Despite the team losing several key components, they wouldn't be as detrimental as CCU's losses. There's more depth on the Gamecocks side.

What's going to determine the outcome of this game will be JSU's ability to run the ball. This is what their game plan should revolve around.

The offensive line of the Gamecocks outweighs the defensive line of the Chanticleers by 28 pounds per man. They have the speed and talent to run the ball.

They can't turn the ball over. JSU racked up 20 turnovers last season but when they didn't commit multiple mistakes, they won seven of eight games. In last year's game, Jacksonville State committed several mistakes in a turnover and seven penalties and lost.

Coastal Carolina should still put up a great fight though. The team will probably struggle offensively for the first half but if they're in the game by halftime, the final result can go either way.

If Jacksonville State has to depend on throwing the ball more, Coastal Carolina will increase their chances of pulling off a signature road win.

The run game is the clear advantage that the Gamecocks have to take advantage of. Their secondary also can't fold up. That's most likely the area in which CCU will attack the most.

If the secondary gets burned, JSU will be in massive amounts of trouble. It'll be interesting to know how this revamped unit will perform early on. 2023 was Jacksonville State's inaugural FBS season.

Nobody saw them winning eight regular season games. Nobody expected them to play in a bowl game and win it. They did just that. The program has tons of momentum to build on. A victory here would just increase it even more.