Coastal Carolina Could Move To 4-0, Top 25 Consideration

As if 2020 can't get any crazier, Coastal Carolina may crack the AP Top 25. It could happen if the Chanticleers (3-0) can go on the road to Louisiana-Lafayette, currently threatened by a level-two hurricane, and get a win over the No. 23 Ragin Cajuns (3-0) on Saturday. If not for the Big Ten & Pac-12 teams that are freeloading in the poll, you'd have two ranked Sun Belt teams meeting on ESPN2 at noon ET.

“We’re trying to do something that’s never been done at this school. We want to get to a bowl game. We want to leave a legacy with this team, and to do that you’ve got to make sacrifices now so you can enjoy the fruits of it later,” CCU head coach Jamey Chadwell told Myrtle Beach Online.

So far, Chadwell's team has managed to remain intact during the COVID crisis. In Week 3, CCU played a depleted Arkansas State team. Many players couldn't participate because they were under quarantine.

“We can have 99 guys do it, but if one person goes and makes a bad decision that affects the rest of it and it can totally derail it. So you hope you lay out what’s at stake. By them being diligent, by them doing the little things, yeah it might take away from their college experience right now. But man, when we do get to let loose, it’s going to be one heck of a party. So you hope your coaching’s strong enough. You hope your leadership is strong enough.”

So far this year, CCU has:

• Beaten Kansas

• Had no COVID issues

• Appeared in coveted, nationally-televised time slots

• Come close to breaking into the AP poll

• Positioned itself for bowl-eligibility

• Showcased a marketable player, Teddy Gallagher, whose mullet has garnered national attention

CCU's only miscalculation so far is its decision to don a "justice" patch on team jerseys. However, we've discussed this issue so many times with so many teams and brands that it seems pointless to harp on CCU.