Tulsa vs. East Carolina Prediction, Picks & Odds: College Football Week 8

Tulsa and East Carolina get the college football landscape all to themselves with this standalone game on Thursday night, and I break down the American Conference tilt with my Tulsa vs. East Carolina prediction.

My college football picks factor in that East Carolina is a 16.5-point betting favorite, backing one of its players to score an anytime touchdown for my college football predictions for Week 8.  The game kicks off from Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, N.C., at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN).

🏈 Tulsa vs. East Carolina predictions

College football expert picks for Week 8; odds subject to change.

• Game prediction: East Carolina -16.5 (-110 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
• Over/Under pick: Under 55.5 (-115 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐
• Player prop bet: Marlon Gunn Jr. anytime touchdown scorer (+135 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐

🆚 Who will win Tulsa vs. East Carolina?

The all-time series between Tulsa and East Carolina is tied 12-12, with the Pirates narrowly winning by a touchdown 38-31 in a road Thursday night contest last year. But East Carolina should have a much easier time at home this year against a Tulsa team coming off a 38-point loss to Memphis. I am backing the Pirates to improve to 4-0 SU as a favorite.

Prediction: East Carolina 34, Tulsa 16

✅ Tulsa vs. East Carolina expert pick

Track the latest college football scores for line movement and matchup info.

🏴‍☠️ East Carolina -16.5 (-110) ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Before last week’s seven-point loss to American Conference contender Tulane, East Carolina had been 8-3 under head coach Blake Harrell, who was hired after serving as interim coach in the middle of last season. That .727 winning percentage was tied for the most wins and best winning percentage by a head coach through 11 games in program history.

Despite converting 10 of 19 third-down opportunities and totaling 22 first downs against Tulane, the Pirates lacked in the big play department, being held to 3.7 yards per carry and 6.0 yards per pass attempt. But they should see positive regression at home this week, as they had totaled at least 400 yards of offense in 10 of the first 11 games under Harrell.

The juice to lay the 16.5 points is as high as -114 at 53.27% odds at FanDuel, and other best sports betting sites have already moved to -17. Thus, I am backing the -16.5 at the standard -110 juice at BetMGM before it reaches the key number of 17, and my $10 wager would stand to net $9.09 in profits if East Carolina covers.

💰 Best Tulsa vs. East Carolina player prop bet

Our college football player prop odds tool shows the best odds for every market across legal sportsbooks in your area.

🔥 Marlon Gunn Jr. anytime touchdown scorer (+135) ⭐⭐⭐

One can usually find value backing an East Carolina player’s anytime touchdown odds given how balanced its offense is. Case in point: as of Oct. 4, the Pirates were one of 11 FBS teams to have at least seven different players score a touchdown in a game. And in their season opener against Campbell, they set a single-game record with 15 players recording a reception.

Marlon Gunn Jr. is one of three East Carolina running backs with at least 41 carries, 163 rushing yards, and two rushing touchdowns on the season. Gunn scored in back-to-back games to open the season but should earn more red-zone carries given how explosive he has been of late.

Gunn has seen a season-high 10 rushing attempts in each of the last two conference games against Army and Tulane. He parlayed that extra work into two of three games this season where he averaged at least 5.2 yards per carry.

If Gunn finds the end zone for the third time this week, my $10 winning wager through DraftKings’ +135 odds at a 42.55% implied probability would net $13.50 in profits.

📊 Tulsa vs. East Carolina odds

Latest college football odds updated live in real time.

📺 How to watch Tulsa vs. East Carolina: Week 8

• Date: Thursday, Oct. 16
• Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
• Where: Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium (Greenville, N.C.)
• TV: ESPN