The East Carolina Pirates travel to take on the Cincinnati Bearcats in college football action tonight. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start time and it will be televised nationally on ESPN2. Currently the odds for the game have the Pirates favored by a field goal in this one.
East Carolina got as high as No. 18 in the rankings this season, but a loss in their last game at Temple certainly knocked them out. The Pirates had been an team that had no problems scoring points in their games but only posted 10 against Temple in that defeat.
Now, at 6-2, East Carolina has to change their focus from being a potential team that plays in a decent bowl game to one that must challenge for the American Conference title. The Pirates are 3-1 in league play, which ties them with Cincinnati and UCF in the loss column. Memphis sits atop the league with a 4-1 record, making this game very important.
The winner of tonight's game will have a good shot at winning the league title, especially with East Carolina not having to play Memphis at all this season. Cincinnati already has lost to Memphis this season so a win tonight by the Bearcats would still need some help in order for them to win the conference.
Munchie Legaux is back on the field for the Bearcats, who have won three straight games overall. Legaux threw three TDs in a win over Tulane in the team's last game a few weeks back before the bye. The three-game win streak for Cincinnati has seen the Bearcats average nearly 38 points per game, so East Carolina will have to either keep up offensively or get some stops on defense.
The Pirates have averaged 36 points per game themselves this season, even with the 10 points scored against Temple in their last game. Defensively the Pirates are pretty good as well, allowing opponents to score just 23 points per game. Quarterback Shane Carden has thrown for 2,791 yards already on the season with 18 touchdowns. The Pirates run the football well for a team that throws it as much, with Chris Hairston and Breon Allen averaging better than 6.5 yards per carry this season.
Both teams are coming into this game with some rest, so expect a solid matchup between a couple of squads that can score some points. The difference will be the Pirate defense, which is better than Cincinnati's, even with the Bearcats playing at home.
Free Pick: East Carolina 31, Cincinnati 21
Handicapping Tips: Primetime Overs
Steve Fezzik, from Pregame.com, gives his tips and thoughts as to why there are so many overs in the primetime NFL games this year.
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