The East Carolina Pirates (7-5) and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (9-3) meet in the Birmingham Bowl Tuesday at the Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Ala. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:45 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the East Carolina vs. Coastal Carolina odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
East Carolina is back in a postseason game for the 1st time since the 2015 Birmingham Bowl, a 28-20 loss against Florida. ECU did qualify for a bowl last season, but Boston College had to pull out of the Military Bowl due to a COVID issue, and the Pirates couldn’t find another opponent or bowl.
ECU won a wild 49-46 game at Temple to close out the season, its 4th time going for 47 or more points in a single game. The defense has allowed 42 or more points in back-to-back games, and 3 of the last 6 outings.
Coastal Carolina lost coach Jamey Chadwell to Liberty and has hired Tim Beck to lead the team next season. Defensive coordinator Chad Staggs will be the interim coach in the bowl.
QB Grayson McCall entered the transfer portal, but he announced he still intends to play in the bowl game for his Coastal Carolina teammates.
The Chanticleers lost the final 2 games of the season, while going 0-3 ATS in the final 3 outings. The Over cashed in the final 3, too, and the defense allowed 46.0 PPG in the final 2 contests.
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East Carolina vs. Coastal Carolina odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Sunday at 11:13 p.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): East Carolina -280 (bet $280 to win $100) | Coastal Carolina +225 (bet $100 to win $225)
- Against the spread (ATS): East Carolina -7 (-115) | Coastal Carolina +7 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 64 (O: -111 | U: -109)
East Carolina vs. Coastal Carolina picks and predictions
Prediction
East Carolina 36, Coastal Carolina 32
Moneyline
East Carolina will cost you over 2 1/2 times your potential return, which is just too expensive, even though QB Holton Ahlers and the Pirates roll into this one with more momentum. The Pirates also have the coaching staff continuity, too, and that’s a big reason they’re favored by so much.
Still, PASS, as McCall’s surprise decision to play will make this a close game, and a shootout.
Against the spread
COASTAL CAROLINA +7 (-105) hasn’t shown a lot of success on defense lately, but McCall playing despite the portal move will give this team a big boost. The Chanticleers have a tremendous offense, and they’ll be able to hang with the Pirates.
This will be a fun game to watch between Ahlers and McCall, but it will also be nerve-wracking if you’re a fan of either side, or betting either side. If you can get this at 7 1/2, even better.
Over/Under
OVER 63.5 (-111) is a big number, but it’s worth it.
The Over is 4-0 in the last 4 December games for CCU, and 10-4 in the previous 14 non-conference tilts.
The Over is 5-1 in the last 6 games in December for ECU, and 7-1 in the previous 8 appearances on a fieldturf surface.
Those trends are all well and good, but the reason to back the Over is due to the fact these teams have A-plus quarterbacks who will be slinging it early and often.
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