East Carolina vs. North Carolina State Prediction, Odds and Key Players for Military Bowl

Reed Wallach | Dec 23, 2024

Oct 19, 2024; West Point, New York, USA; East Carolina Pirates quarterback Katin Houser (4) passes during the second quarter against the Army Black Knights at Michie Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images / Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

In-state foes meet in the 2024 Military Bowl when East Carolina and North Carolina State play.

East Carolina had a big second half of the season to secure bowl eligibility, opting to make interim head coach Blake Harrell the full-time leader of the program. He will coach his first bowl game against NC State, who struggled to live up to lofty expectations this season but won its final regular season game to make a bowl game.

How should we handicap this matchup? What’s the best bet? We have you covered below!

East Carolina vs. North Carolina State Odds, Spread and Total

Spread

East Carolina: +5.5 (-110)
North Carolina State: -5.5 (-110)

Moneyline

East Carolina: +162
North Carolina State: -200

Total: 58.5 (Over -114/Under -106)

Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook

East Carolina vs. North Carolina State How to Watch

Date: Saturday, December 28th
Game Time: 5:45 PM EST
Venue: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
How to Watch (TV): ESPN
East Carolina Record: 8-5
North Carolina State Record: 8-4

East Carolina vs. North Carolina State Key Players to Watch

East Carolina

Katin Houser: ECU went to Houser towards the end of the season and it unlocked the entire offense. The team won four of six games with Houser as QB1 and scored at least 34 in five of six as Houser gave the team far more stability under center than the Week 1 starter Jake Garcia. Overall, Houser passed for 1,859 yards with 20 total touchdowns and nine interceptions in 2024.

North Carolina State

CJ Bailey: The freshman was in and out of the starting quarterback role for the Wolfpack with middling results. Bailey flashed upside but also had plenty of duds playing more than half of the season. Overall, he went 4-5 in nine starts with 2,183 yards 19 total touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

East Carolina vs. North Carolina State Prediction and Pick

Sometimes, handicapping a bowl game has to do with handicapping motivation. After posting a down season, North Carolina State may have an eye on the offseason as it faces an in-state team that has plenty to play for under a new head coach who earned the job with strong results down the stretch as well as playing a bigger school not too far away.

Of course, that’s not the only reason to make a bet, but it’s not nothing when bowl season comes around.

Further, NC State lost Kevin Concepcion, the team’s most talented pass catcher. The Wolfpack offense has been inconsistent all season, mainly behind a shaky offensive line that was outside the top 120 in tackles for loss allowed.

The ECU defense has been havoc-minded all season and can give Bailey issues in this matchup, 11th in tackles for loss and 23rd in turnovers gained. The team is elite against the run, but shaky against the pass, ranking 23rd in EPA/Rush and outside the top 100 in EPA/Pass. However, the NC State offense has been prone to mistakes, 125th in havoc allowed.

Meanwhile, the ECU offense has excelled all season with a fast-paced offense and a ton of explosive playmakers. The NC State defense has fallen off this season, ranking outside the top 75 in both yards per play allowed and EPA/Play allowed, and defensive coordinator Tony Gibson has gone to Marshall as the team’s new head coach.

I believe ECU has the motivation edge, but also plenty of matchup edges to keep this game competitive.

Give me the points with the Pirates who would love to end the season with a win over an in-state ACC foe.

PICK: ECU +5.5