The Pittsburgh Panthers always put on a show in bowl games, but they don't have much of a dance partner Saturday at the Military Bowl, when they'll be taking on the East Carolina Pirates, who won this same bowl last year.
With major upheaval at the most important position for the Pirates (more on that below), the Panthers are healthy 9.5-point favorites in the college football odds.
Our Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina predictions and college football picks have Pitt dominating at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, MD.
Pittsburgh vs East Carolina predictions for the Military Bowl
Who will win the Military Bowl?
The biggest news is who's not playing in this game, as East Carolina starting QB Katin Houser announced he is opting out of the Military Bowl and entering the transfer portal when it opens Jan 2.
Houser was the centerpiece of a team that finished 14th nationally in total offense, rolling up 464.7 yards per game. He accounted for 3,300 yards passing with 19 touchdowns against just six picks.
That's not something East Carolina will recover from – at least not against a battle-tested Panthers' side that currently has every player set to play in the Military Bowl. It's not worth a wager, but I'm taking the Panthers.
Pittsburgh vs East Carolina best bet: Pittsburgh -10.5 (+100)
Not only is Katin Houser out to dent a potent offense — they'll now be leaning on redshirt senior Michael Wright Jr., a journeyman playing on his fourth team in five years — but the East Carolina Pirates are also down some of their brightest coaches.
ECU defensive coordinator Josh Aldridge announced his move to South Florida for the same position, so he likely won't be directing a defense that finished inside the Top 50 in total defense (348.9 yards per game).
The Pirates ranked first in the American Conference in defense, allowing just 20.3 points per game, and were first against the run, limiting teams to 120.3 yards on the ground.
Their weakness was the passing game, where they allowed 228.7 yards per game, which was seventh in the conference. This is where the Pittsburgh Panthers should take advantage.
The Panthers were the top scoring team in the ACC, pouring in 35.1 points per game, and they did much of their damage through the air, piling up 274.8 yards per contest, good for 20th in the nation.
In their final eight games of the season, they scored at least 30 points in six of them, only held down by the 9th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish (15 points) and the 12th-ranked Miami Hurricanes (7 points).
East Carolina didn't play a ranked team all season (BYU was unranked when they played in September), and Pitt ended its year with three straight Top 16 teams.
While they may shake some rust off as they haven't played since Nov 29, they should find their footing just fine to win by double digits — five of their final six wins were by at least 10 points.
Pittsburgh vs East Carolina same-game parlay
We're going to combine the spread and the total into a nice 2-legged SGP. Pittsburgh has fallen off the radar offensively a little bit, but that will happen when you have Notre Dame and Miami on your schedule to close out the year.
Take away those two games, and the Panthers have scored at least 24 points in every game and have touched 30+ points in eight games. They shouldn't have any problem pulling away from ECU.
Unfortunately, I don't see ECU nearly as potent without Houser under center, and expect their offense to take a big step back in this one.
Pittsburgh vs East Carolina SGP
- Pittsburgh -10.5
- Under 55.5
Pittsburgh vs East Carolina game predictions
Pittsburgh vs East Carolina spread prediction
East Carolina didn't play a ranked team all season (BYU was unranked when they played in September), and Pitt ended its year with three straight Top-16 teams. While they may shake some rust off as they haven't played since Nov. 29, they should find their footing just fine to win by double digits — five of their final six wins were by at least 10 points.
Pittsburgh vs East Carolina Over/Under prediction
Pitt is going to get its points, but ECU's lineup minus Houser will not be able to keep the pace.
They're also likely going to be down offensive coordinator John David Baker, who announced he's leaving to take the same role with Mississippi.
East Carolina should have been able to exploit Pitt's poor pass defense, which ranks outside the Top 100 nationally, but who knows what they'll get out of the QB position. The run game is solid, piling up 185 yards per game, but that goes up against the Panthers' Top-10 rush defense that's allowed 97 yards per game.
Pittsburgh vs East Carolina odds
- Spread: Pittsburgh -6 | East Carolina +6
- Moneyline: Pittsburgh -210 | East Carolina +175
- Over/Under: Over 59.5 | Under 59.5
Pittsburgh vs East Carolina trend to know
Pittsburgh has covered the spread in each of its last four games as a favorite. Find more college football betting trends for Pittsburgh vs East Carolina.
How to watch Pittsburgh vs East Carolina
| Location | Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD |
| Date | Saturday, December 27, 2025 |
| Kickoff | 11:00 a.m. ET |
| TV | ESPN |
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Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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