Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina Predictions & Odds | 2025 Military Bowl Best Bet & TD Pick
With one program losing both coordinators and its best offensive players to the transfer portal, my Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina predictions don't trust the Pirates to have enough wind behind their sails to make the Military Bowl competitive.
Pitt is a 10-point betting favorite for Saturday's 11 a.m. ET (ESPN) Military Bowl from Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md., in the ninth bowl game featured in our college football predictions this week.
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🏈 Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina predictions: 2025 Military Bowl
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| Best bets | Odds | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Pittsburgh -10 | -112 via DraftKings | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Kenny Johnson anytime TD | -120 via bet365 | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
💰 Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina best bet
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Pittsburgh -10 (-112) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is going to look like a completely different East Carolina team than the one that went 8-4. Not only are both coordinators gone (OC John David Baker and DC Josh Aldridge), but the Pirates are without star QB Katin Houser, leading rusher London Montgomery, and at least two of their top pass catchers.
With an offense featuring backups, ECU is likely to struggle against a Pitt defense ranked in the top 30 in EPA per rush and pass.
And with the emergence of freshman QB Mason Heintschel for the Panthers, Pat Narduzzi's team shouldn't have much trouble scoring.
Score prediction: Pittsburgh 30, East Carolina 17
🙌 Best Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina touchdown pick: Military Bowl
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Kenny Johnson, WR, Pittsburgh: Anytime TD (-120) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
With Heintschel slinging the rock, Pitt has become a pass-first offense. That shouldn't change against an East Carolina defense that struggles much more against the pass than the run this season.
One of Heintchel's favorite targets is Kenny Johnson, who's averaging 4.5 receptions for 64.8 yards on 6.4 targets per game with the freshman at the helm. That includes scoring four of his five touchdowns this season in Heintchel's eight starts.
Johnson leads Pitt in YAC (280), contested catches (5), and yards per route run among wide receivers (1.86). He's the Panthers' best big-play threat and has found the end zone in three of his last five games.
💰️ Poppi should pop too
Johnson isn't the Panthers' only wide receiver set to score against East Carolina. Raphael "Poppi" Williams is Heintchel's other favorite target. He leads the team in targets (74) and receiving TDs (6). He's also priced at -120 to score against the Pirates, and I like parlaying both Williams and Johnson to put six on the board for +236 odds at bet365.
📝 Top NFL draft prospects for Military Bowl
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| Player | Position | Key stats | NFL draft grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rasheem Biles, Pittsburgh | LB | 85 tackles, 12 TFLs | Round 5-7 |
| Ryan Baer, Pittsburgh | OT | 6 sacks, 29 pressures allowed | Round 6-UDFA |
| Emmanuel Poku, East Carolina | OG | 0 sacks, 12 pressures allowed | Round 6-UDFA |
| Zion Wilson, East Carolina | IDL | 10 TFLs, 7 sacks | Round 6-UDFA |
| Anthony Smith, East Carolina | WR | 942 scrimmage yards, 6 TDs | Round 7-UDFA |
📊 Live Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina odds: Military Bowl
Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina opening odds
- Moneyline: Pittsburgh -190 | East Carolina +160
- Spread: Pittsburgh -4 (-110) | East Carolina +4 (-110)
- Over/Under: Over 59.5 (-110) | Under 59.5 (-110)
📈 Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina betting trends
| Pittsburgh | Statistic | East Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| 8-4 | W-L record | 8-4 |
| 8-4 | ATS record | 7-5 |
| 7-5 | O/U record | 6-6 |
| 5.8 | Yards per play | 5.9 |
| 4.9 | Yards allowed per play | 5.2 |
| +0.2 | Turnover margin | +0.5 |
| 3-2 | Last 5 games | 4-1 |
| L, 38-7 vs. Miami | Previous result | W, 42-3 vs. FAU |
📺 How to watch Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina: Military Bowl
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 27
- Kickoff: 11 a.m. ET
- Location: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium (Annapolis, Md.)
- TV: ESPN
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