Tulsa vs East Carolina Prediction, Picks & Odds for October 16 — College Football Week 8

Scimia's prediction: Defense wins out.

Ed Scimia - Contributor at Covers.com
Ed Scimia • Betting Analyst
Oct 15, 2025 • 21:22 ET • 4 min read

NCAAF

Match starts: 19 hrs
ECU
39 %
TLSA
61 %
EXPERT PICK - TOTAL
u54.5 (-112)
Read Analysis
Tulsa Golden Hurricane running back Braylon Presley (1) runs with the ball.
Photo By - Imagn Images. Tulsa Golden Hurricane running back Braylon Presley (1) runs with the ball.

The Tulsa Golden Hurricane will be looking for its first win in AAC play this season as it visits the East Carolina Pirates in a Thursday night showdown.

These offenses have both struggled mightily this year, which is why I’m backing the Under in my Tulsa vs. East Carolina predictions.

Let’s break down this midweek matchup in my free college football picks for Thursday, October 16.

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Tulsa vs East Carolina prediction

Tulsa vs East Carolina best bet: Under 54.5 (-112)

If you’re a fan of high-octane, high-scoring offensive football, you might not get a lot of enjoyment out of this Thursday night AAC matchup. East Carolina has struggled to move the ball on the ground, and even senior quarterback Katin Houser hasn’t done much to spark the offense, which hasn’t done much outside of scoring 56 points against the Campbell Fighting Camels. 

That still dwarfs the production of the Tulsa offense. The Golden Hurricane haven't scored more than 23 points against an FBS opponent this year, and was even held to a less-than-impressive 35 by the Abilene Christian Wildcats. At just 5.0 yards per play, Tulsa rates among the worst offenses in the country when it comes to moving the ball, and they’ve been especially poor through the air, throwing as many interceptions as touchdowns (seven each).

Both teams have played towards the Under this year, hitting below the number on five of six occasions. East Carolina has held three of its last five opponents to six points or less, while Tulsa has been reasonable enough on the defensive side, allowing 26.3 ppg. We’re looking at a low-scoring affair where the Under is the clear play.

Tulsa vs East Carolina same-game parlay

The Golden Hurricane deserve to be an underdog in this game, but there’s every chance things remain close, and that makes a big number on the first half moneyline appealing. I’m combining the Under with bets on Tulsa to cover the spread and take the lead at the half in order to create a high-value SGP.

Tulsa vs East Carolina SGP

  • Under 54.4
  • Tulsa +16.5
  • Tulsa moneyline — 1H

    Tulsa vs East Carolina odds

    • Spread: Tulsa +16.5| East Carolina -16.5
    • Moneyline: Tulsa +510 | East Carolina -788
    • Over/Under: Over 55.5 | Under 55.5

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    How to watch Tulsa vs East Carolina

    Location Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, NC
    Date Thursday, October 16, 2025
    Kickoff 7:30 p.m. ET
    TV ESPN

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    Ed Scimia - Covers.com
    Betting Analyst

    Ed Scimia has been writing about the gaming industry for over 15 years. He graduated from Syracuse University with degrees in Magazine Journalism and Political Science in 2003, and has covered major gambling events like the World Series of Poker in his career. Since joining Covers in 2022, Ed has offered his sports betting analysis primarily on MLB, NFL, college football, and college basketball games, but is willing to take on any sport.

    His betting strategy focuses more on finding line value based on deviations from the market rather than traditional handicapping, primarily shopping between DraftKings, FanDuel, and Fanatics in his home state of Connecticut, though he’s not afraid to do deep game analysis to find profitable bets at any book.

    Outside of gambling, Ed is an avid curler who competes in mixed doubles on the World Curling Tour and runs a popular curling YouTube channel, Chess on Ice. That experience has come in handy during the Olympics, when he has proven to be a successful curling bettor as well. 

    Ed's advice to new bettors is to always open multiple sportsbook accounts and check the odds at each before placing any bet. Successful sports betting is about consistently beating the closing line value, which requires finding spots where one book is offering odds far better than the rest of the market and jumping on those opportunities.

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