East Carolina vs. NC State Predictions, Picks, Odds, Breakdown for Military Bowl

East Carolina and North Carolina State come into this game with very little to say against it. East Carolina was red hot to close out the year, while NC State played better but didn’t play as well as the Pirates entering this game. It’s time to continue our college football odds series with an East Carolina-NC State prediction and pick.

Latest East Carolina-NC State Match – Match History

NC State leads the all-time series in the battle for the Victory Bell, 19-13. In their rivalry, NC State has won the last three meetings between these two teams. The last time they played, NC State won in a thriller, 21-20, in Greenville.

Overall series: NC State leads 19-13

Here are the East Carolina-NC State college football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

College football odds: East Carolina-NC State odds

East Carolina: +6.5 (-110)

Financial line: +172

NC State: -6.5 (-110)

Financial line: -210

Over: 58.5 (-110)

Minus: 58.5 (-110)

How to watch East Carolina vs. NC State

Time: 5:45 p.m. ET/2:45 p.m. PT

Television: ESPN

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Why East Carolina Could Cover the Spread/Win

East Carolina had a great year offensively. They average 433.3 yards and 32.5 points per game. The Pirates have used two different quarterbacks this season. Their current starter is Katin Houser, and he has had a solid season. Houser has 1,859 passing yards, 18 passing touchdowns and nine interceptions with a 60.6% completion percentage. The receiving corps was balanced, with Anthony Smith leading the way. Smith has 767 yards and six touchdowns on 38 receptions. The running game has also been solid for the Pirates. Rahjai Harris leads the team with 946 yards and 10 touchdowns on 189 carries. The Pirates should be able to score at will on the Wolfpack despite the difference in competition between the two schools. This should be a shootout as the Wolfpack have been inconsistent at best on defense.

East Carolina’s defense has been inconsistent this year. They allow 403.3 yards and 27.8 points per game. They struggle against both the pass and the ground game. They allow 235.8 yards through the air and 167.5 yards on the ground. The Wolfpack have been inconsistent and have had growing pains on offense, but they come into this game playing well on that side of the ball. They should be able to score on this defense due to the Pirates’ inconsistency in their own right. Expect this to turn into a shootout between the two Maryland schools.

Why NC State could cover the spread/win

NC State’s offense has been solid this season and has played better recently. They average 373.6 yards and 29.2 points per game. CJ Bailey stabilized this offense after Grayson McCall went down with a career-ending injury earlier this season. Bailey has 2,183 passing yards, 14 passing touchdowns and nine interceptions with a 64.1% completion percentage. The receivers have been inconsistent this season. Tight end Justin Joly leads the receiving corps with 620 yards and three touchdowns on 40 receptions. The running game has also been a disappointment this year. It was a running game by committee this season. Jordan Waters is the leading rusher with 445 yards and three touchdowns on 91 carries. Then Hollywood Smothers and Kendrick Raphael combined for over 400 rushing yards on 74 carries, and Smothers had six touchdowns to Raphael’s four. This offense is back on track and should score easily on a struggling East Carolina defense.

NC State’s defense has struggled this season. They allow 384.8 yards and 30.5 points per game. They also struggled against the ground game and passing attack, allowing 241.1 yards through the air and 143.8 yards on the ground. This defense will have a lot to do against the Pirates. Even though the Wolfpack has stabilized its offense, this defense still struggles. This rivalry will become a shootout as each team has the opportunity to score on each other at will. The defense needs more than just Davin Vann to come out and play well across the entire unit, from the front seven to the secondary.

East Carolina State-NC State Final Prediction and Selection

This game renews a rivalry in North Carolina. These programs don’t have a long history of matching up, but when they do, it’s an underrated matchup in the state. Expect points, points and more points. Coverage is a good bet because every offense is playing well and every defense is struggling. However, NC State is the better team overall and should do enough and get just enough stops for the win and the cover. NC State should win and cover in this new edition of the rivalry game for the Victory Bell.

East Carolina and North Carolina State Final Prediction and Selection: NC State -6.5 (-110), Over 58.5 (-110)