Coastal Carolina and Louisiana Tech, two teams that will be competing against each other in the Sun Belt within a couple years, will square off in the Independence Bowl.
Both teams enjoyed memorable moments during the 2025 season, as CCU is 6-6 with a 5-3 record against Sun Belt teams and LA Tech is 7-5 and 5-3 in Conference USA play.
The Chanticleers started out 2-3 with blowout losses to Virginia, East Carolina, and Old Dominion and wins over Charleston Southern and South Alabama. But then CCU went on a four-game winning streak against ULM, App State, Marshall, and Georgia State to earn bowl-eligibility.
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The Chanticleers were even technically in contention to win the Sun Belt East at that point. But they lost their last three contests of the regular season against Georgia Southern, South Carolina, and James Madison – and the last two contests were decided by more than 40 points each.
That losing streak led to CCU head coach Tim Beck being fired, and the school has since announced Ryan Beard will be the program’s next head coach.
Under head coach Sonny Cumbie, Louisiana Tech enjoyed a strong start to the 2025 campaign. The Bulldogs went 4-1 overall with victories over Southeastern Louisiana, New Mexico State, Southern Miss, and UTEP and a loss to LSU. With a 2-0 mark in CUSA play and a strong defense, the Bulldogs appeared like they would be in the mix for a league championship.
But the Bulldogs lost four of their next five games against Kennesaw State, Western Kentucky, Delaware, and Washington State with a win over Sam Houston during that stretch.
Still, LA Tech managed to close the season with back-to-back victories over Liberty and Missouri State to earn bowl-eligibility. The Bulldogs now have some momentum going into the Independence Bowl, a bowl that they lost last year to Army. LA Tech last won a bowl game in 2019, the Independence Bowl, which marked the end of six straight seasons that the Bulldogs won a bowl game under then-head coach Skip Holtz.
Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana Tech Betting Odds
Louisiana Tech is a -9.5 college football betting odds favorite against Coastal Carolina, with the Over/Under being 51.5 as of this writing. The moneyline for Coastal Carolina is +275, while it’s -350 for Louisiana Tech.
Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana Tech On TV
The matchup between Coastal Carolina and Louisiana Tech will be televised on ESPN.
The game will kick off at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Dec. 30. The contest is taking place at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana.
Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana Tech Prediction
I predict Louisiana Tech will win and cover the 9.5-point spread. I also project the game will go Under 51.5 total points.
I expect Louisiana Tech’s defense will be dominant in this matchup. The Bulldogs finished the season first in Conference USA and 38th in the country in scoring defense with 21.33 points per game allowed. They were also second in CUSA in total defense with 376.4 yards per game given up.
Coastal Carolina’s offense, meanwhile, wasn’t overly impressive in 2025. The Chanticleers were 12th in the 14-team Sun Belt in scoring offense (22.8 PPG) and 13th in total offense (322.8 YPG).
I also think CCU head coach Tim Beck being fired and the coaching transition could have an impact on this game. So I imagine Louisiana Tech is in a great position to win in its home state and secure its first bowl victory in six years. That should give the Bulldogs and head coach Sonny Cumbie even more momentum as a team going into 2026.
