Pittsburgh Panthers vs East Carolina Pirates Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 12/27/2025

Game Time: 11:00 am ET, Saturday, December 27, 2025

Venue:  Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD

Where to Watch:  ESPN

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Pittsburgh -9.5, ECU +9.5; Over/Under:  57.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Pittsburgh -9.5, ECU +9.5; Over/Under:  57.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Pittsburgh -9.5, ECU +9.5; Over/Under:  57.5 points

Pittsburgh Panthers:  8-4 (6-2) (4th place, ACC)

East Carolina Pirates:  8-4 (6-2) (5th place, American)

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Pittsburgh Panthers:  lost their last game at home against the Miami Hurricanes 38-7.

East Carolina Pirates:  won their last game on the road against the Florida Atlantic Owls 42-3.

Pittsburgh is entering this game with an 8-4 record overall and they have a 6-2 record in their conference games too. They are 4-3 in their home games, 4-1 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, and they will be at a neutral site for this game. They lost their last game against Miami-Florida 38-7. Mason Heintschel was the starting QB and he completed 22/32 passes for 199 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Ja'Kyrian Turner led the team in rushing yards with 37. Raphael Poppi Williams Jr. led the receivers with 66 receiving yards on 5 receptions. Kyle Louis led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 5 assisted tackles while Isaiah Neal and Rashad Battle each led the defense in sacks with 1. Cruce Brookins came away with the only interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

East Carolina is entering this game with an 8-4 record overall and they have a 6-2 record in their conference games too. They are 5-1 in their home games, 3-3 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at a neutral site for this game. They won their last game against FAU 42-3. Katin Houser was the starting QB and he completed 20/29 passes for 258 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Marlon Gunn Jr. led the team in rushing yards with 130 and 1 TD. Desirrio Riles led the receivers with 87 receiving yards on 7 receptions and 1 TD. Kevon Merrell Jr. led the defense in that game with 3 solo tackles and 4 assisted tackles while Zion Wilson led the defense in sacks with 2. Ja'Marley Riddle, Teagan Wilk, and Angelo Ross each came away with 1 interceptions for them in that one.

The current betting odds have East Carolina listed as a 9.5 point underdog in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. East Carolina has looked good in their games this season with their 8-4 record overall and their 6-2 conference record which had them right near the top of the American Conference. They haven't played in any neutral site games this season so this will be their first, playing in the Military Bowl. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh has looked good in their games this season with their 8-4 record overall and their 6-2 conference record which had them right near the top of the ACC. They haven't played in any neutral site games this year either. Pittsburgh had a really good season, but they had a chance to go to the ACC Championship and blew it in their final game of the regular season, losing to Miami 38-7. They struggled in their non-conference games too, going 2-2 in those with losses to Notre Dame and West Virginia. Their season didn't end the way they wanted it to so their motivation here will be in question, and East Carolina was not a bad team at all this year. The American Conference wasn't a weak conference either and East Carolina looked really good in their final games of the season, ending the year with a 42-3 win over FAU. Their defense can keep this a respectable game against a Pitt offense that was up and down all year, and Pittsburgh might not have their best effort in this game either. The best way to place a bet here is on East Carolina to cover the spread in this game. 

Pittsburgh East Carolina Prediction:  Our NCAAF Pick for Saturday, December 27, 2025 (11:00 am ET start time) is Pittsburgh 27 East Carolina 20.

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Pittsburgh Panthers: 7-3 ATS when the total is between 56.5 and 63. 9-5 ATS versus good offensive teams - averaging 425 yards/game or more. 14-6 1H ATS as a favorite. 4-1 UNDER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 75%).

East Carolina Pirates: 1-5 ATS off a road win. 4-7 ATS after allowing 14 points or less last game. 10-3 UNDER as an underdog. 8-4 UNDER after allowing 14 points or less last game. 9-4 UNDER in non-conference games.

Pittsburgh Panthers:  J. Brown (RB) Questionable - Undisclosed. D. Cook (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. N. Maynard (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. S. FitzSimmons (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. N. Lapi (LB) Questionable - Undisclosed. K. Gouveia (OG) Out - Leg. D. Davis Jr. (RB) Out - Knee. Z. Crothers (DL) Out - Undisclosed. J. Marcelin (LB) Out - Undisclosed. J. Bonsu (LB) Out - Undisclosed.

East Carolina Pirates:  P. Askew (OG) Questionable - Undisclosed. K. Pearson (WR) Questionable - Undisclosed. M. Brown (TE) Questionable - Undisclosed. X. McIver (DL) Questionable - Undisclosed. R. Reason (CB) Questionable - Undisclosed. K. Jones (OG) Out - Undisclosed. P. Carr (DL) Out - Suspension. D. Lacy (RB) Out - Undisclosed. J. Lampley (DL) Out - Suspension. B. Spalding (WR) Out - Suspension. D. Hines (CB) Out - Undisclosed.

"On behalf of our football program, I would like to thank the Go Bowling Military Bowl for the opportunity to compete in this year's game. We're looking forward to the chance to honor our country's service members, as well as the opportunity to compete against East Carolina. We have a tremendous amount of respect for the Pirates, and we're excited for the challenge." - Pat Narduzzi on his team playing in the Military Bowl.

"We had something to prove, and it didn't matter who we were playing today. We just had to prove what the Pirates are about and bounce back from that and what we're capable of." - Blake Harrell after his team’s win against FAU in their regular season finale. 

WR Johnson, Kenny

WR Hicks, Cataurus

WR Williams Jr., Raphael 

TE Overman, Jake

QB Heintschel, Mason

RB Reid, Desmond

WR Smith, Anthony

WR Smith, Yannick

WR Spalding, Brock

TE Riles, Desirrio

QB Houser, Katin

RB Montgomery, London

Passing: Mason Heintschel (2,098)

Rushing: Ja'Kyrian Turner (652)

Receiving: Kenny Johnson (695)

Touchdowns: Ja'Kyrian Turner (7)

Passing: Katin Houser (3,300)

Rushing: London Montgomery (742)

Receiving: Anthony Smith (897)

Touchdowns: Katin Houser (9)

Coaches:

Pittsburgh Panthers: Pat Narduzzi (11th season)

East Carolina Pirates: Blake Harrell (2nd season)