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The East Carolina Pirates (3-3, 1-1 AAC) meet the 24th-ranked Army Black Knights (6-0, 5-0) Saturday at Michie Stadium in West Point. Kickoff is scheduled for noon ET (ESPN2). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s college football odds around the East Carolina vs. Army odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
The Pirates were given no quarter in Charlotte last week, falling 55-24 as 9.5-point favorites. East Carolina is now just 1-3 straight up (SU) and against the spread (ATS) in the past 4 games after a 2-0 SU/ATS start against Tidewater schools Norfolk State and Old Dominion.
The Black Knights returned to the rankings this season, and this Army team continues to roll up big numbers. It has scored 37 or more points in 5 of 6 games while going a perfect 6-0 ATS this season. The Over is 3-1 in the past 4 outings, just missing by 1 point in a 44-10 win against UAB last week.
Army has posted 462.3 total yards per game, good for 18th in the nation, while it leads the country with 369.8 rushing yards per game. Army is posting 39.7 PPG, too.
On defense, Army has allowed just 267.3 total yards per game (10th in the nation), and it has given up just 78.3 rushing yards (4th) and 9.8 PPG (2nd).
– Rankings: US LBM Coaches Poll, conducted by the American Football Coaches Association and USA TODAY Sports
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East Carolina at Army odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of college football odds. Lines last updated at 2:44 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): East Carolina +600 (bet $100 to win $600) | Army -900 (bet $900 to win $100)
- Against the spread: East Carolina +17 (-105) | Army -17 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 52.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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East Carolina at Army picks and predictions
Prediction
Army 45, East Carolina 24
Moneyline
There is no way to justify backing Army (-900) either straight up or as part of a parlay. Risking 9 times your potential return, no matter how certain a victory looks, is never a good idea.
PASS, and look to the spread instead.
Against the spread
Back ARMY -17 (-115) at home, as the Black Knights pile up the yardage. QB Bryson Daily leads the team with 738 rushing yards and 14 TDs, averaging 6.9 yards per game, while throwing for 482 yards, 6 TDs and 0 INTs. For RB Kanye Udoh, he has 531 rushing yards (7.2 per attempt) and 7 TDs, while RB Noah Short has 397 rushing yards and 2 TDs with a ridiculous 12.4 YPC.
While East Carolina +17 (-105) allows 148.5 rushing yards per game, which is middle of the road, it was gouged for 311 yards on the ground at Charlotte. That’s an ominous sign heading up to face a white-hot Army side.
Over/Under
OVER 52.5 (-110) is a strong play, and Army might do quite a bit of heavy lifting here.
East Carolina has posted 26.5 PPG, and it has 260.0 passing yards per game. Since it is expected to be playing from behind, those passing numbers will likely continue as we see some Pirates points in the 2nd half after the game has already been decided.
Army has cashed high in 3 of the past 4 games, going for 42 or more points in 3 in a row.
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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
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