East Carolina vs. Memphis Spread, Line, Odds, Predictions, Picks, and Betting Preview

The East Carolina Pirates hit the road to take on the Memphis Tigers in an AAC showdown between two 5-4 teams. East Carolina can qualify for its first bowl game since 2015 with a win, while a Memphis victory would help the Tigers avoid their first losing season since 2013.

This is a very tricky scheduling spot for Memphis. The Tigers pulled off a nice 28-25 upset win over SMU last weekend and must travel to Houston to take on the 8-1 Cougars next weekend. With a matchup against ECU sandwiched between those two games, it’s difficult to expect the Tigers’ effort and concentration levels to be at an all-time high. 

ECU sits at 5-4, but this has clearly been an improved team in Mike Houston’s third year in charge. Three of their four losses have come by only one score, and the Pirates already have a quality win against at Marshall earlier in the year to show that they aren’t immune to being road warriors.

The Pirates have slightly outgained their opposition on the year, averaging 5.9 yards per play offensively while allowing 5.7 on the defensive side. Perhaps most impressively, the Pirates actually outgained Houston 365 to 256 back on October 23. They averaged 5.1 yards per play offensively and held Houston to 3.9 — and this was on the road! Veteran quarterback Holton Ahlers (84 career touchdowns) leads the offensive attack, but a solid running game averaging 171.4 yards per game should find success against a Memphis team that allowed over 200 rushing yards to UTSA, Tulsa, and UCF.

This is a tough scheduling spot, and the Pirates are a better team than their record indicates. The model loves ECU in this spot, and we do as well. 

Pick: ECU +4.5