Boston College vs East Carolina Military Bowl Odds, Picks and Predictions: Canceled

Editor's Note: This game was canceled due to health and safety protocols within the Boston College program.

The Boston College Eagles and East Carolina Pirates will face off at the Military Bowl on Monday, December 27. Boston College is back in the postseason after missing out last year, while ECU will be playing in its first bowl game since 2014. College football betting lines opened with the Eagles as 3-point favorites for this contest which will take place at the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis Maryland. 

Here is our best free Boston College vs. East Carolina picks and predictions for the Military Bowl on December 27, with kickoff at 2:30 p.m. ET. 

Boston College vs East Carolina odds

BC opened as a 3-point favorite, was bet up to -3.5, but have settled back down at -3 at the time of writing. The total opened at 49 and jumped up to 51.5.

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full college football odds before placing your bets.

Boston College vs East Carolina predictions

• Prediction: Boston College -3 (-110)
• Prediction: Under 51.5 (-110)
• Best bet: Boston College second-half team total Under 13.5 (-105)

Predictions made on 12/20/2021 at 5:30 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Boston College vs East Carolina game info

• Location: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD
• Date: Monday, December 27, 2021
• Time: 2:30 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN

Boston College vs East Carolina betting preview

Key injuries

Boston College: Trae Barry TE (Questionable), Josh DeBerry DB (Questionable), Shitta Sillah DE (Questionable), Jason Maitre DB (Out).
East Carolina: Bailey Malovic OL (Out).
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Under is 7-1 in the Eagles' last eight games overall. Find more NCAA betting trends for Boston College vs. East Carolina.

Boston College vs East Carolina picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Spread analysis

Boston College looked like a sleeper in the ACC at the start of the season, beginning its year with four straight wins before losing four in a row. Injuries took their toll on the Eagles who lost starting quarterback Phil Jurkovec for six games before he returned to lead them to back-to-back wins over Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech in November. Unfortunately, any momentum they had with Jurkovec's return came to an end in their season finale when they were stomped 41-10 by Wake Forest. 

East Carolina is also coming off a crushing defeat, falling to CFB-bound Cincinnati by a final score of 35-13. That snapped a four-game winning streak for the Pirates who ended the season going 6-2 ATS in their final eight games. 

The Pirates have an explosive offense led by quarterback Holton Ahlers (3,126 passing yards) and running back Keaton Mitchell (1,132 rushing yards on 6.5 yards per attempt). However, their defense has been far less impressive, especially against the run where they ranked outside the Top-100 schools in the country, allowing 4.71 yards per carry.

That's bad news against a Boston College offense that has one of the best offensive lines in the nation and a running game that churns out 165.8 yards per game on the ground. Guard Zion Johnson and center Alec Lindstrom were both named to the All-ACC first team while Ben Petrula, Tyler Vrabel, and Christian Mahogany have a combined 115 starts on the line. That experience and size should be able to overpower an undersized ECU front. 

On defense, the Eagles have a strong secondary that allows the fourth-fewest passing yards per game in the country (173.5) and limits opposing QBs to 6.74 yards per pass attempt.

The Eagles have struggled to move the ball this year but, with the exception of their last game, they tend to play much better offensively with Jurkovec under center. They'll have an easier time putting up points against a Pirates defense that ranks 95th in the country in yards per play allowed. Meanwhile, their secondary should be able to limit Ahlers and the ECU passing game. We're leaning towards the Eagles to win and cover in what should be a close game. 

Prediction: Boston College -3 (-110)

Over/Under analysis

The total for this game is trending upwards but there are plenty of reasons to go against the line movement. The Eagles' pass defense should neutralize the Pirates' aerial attack but their own passing game hasn't been able to move the chains either. These squads will likely turn to their running games to try to control possession and attempt to control the line of scrimmage. 

Both of these teams will also find it tough to convert on third down with ECU boasting the 13th-best opponent third-down conversion percentage in the country but also ranking just 105th in third-down offense itself. 

With the Under 5-2 in the Pirates' last seven games while going 7-1 in the Eagles' previous eight contests, take the Under again. 

Prediction: Under 51.5 (-110)

Best bet

Although we think Boston College will take the game they might have a tough time scoring after halftime. The Eagles rank outside the Top-100 schools in the country with 10.2 second-half points per game. They were shut out by Wake Forest in the second half of their last contest despite the Demon Deacons ranking just 111th in the country in second-half scoring defense. 

Now Boston College matches up against the Pirates who limit foes to 10.9 ppg during the second 30 minutes. Expect these teams to play tougher defense down the stretch and take the Under on the Eagles' second-half total.

Pick: Boston College second-half team total Under 13.5 (-105)

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