Coastal Carolina vs Eastern Carolina Odds, Pick & Prediction for Birmingham Bowl

• The Eastern Carolina Pirates are 7-point favorites over the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in the Birmingham Bowl on Tuesday, December 27
• It’s the first-ever meeting between these two schools
• All the Birmingham Bowl odds, as well as a pick and prediction, are in the following story

For two schools separated by just 210 miles, it’s taken a shared journey to another state to get the Eastern Carolina Pirates (7-5, 7-5 ATS) and Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (9-3, 4-7-1 ATS) clashing on the football field.

The two teams are meeting in the Birmingham Bowl. It will be the first-ever football game between the schools from the Carolinas – Eastern situated in Greenville, NC and Coastal Carolina 210 miles to the south in Conway, SC.

East Carolina of the American Athletic Conference are 7-point favorites over Coastal Carolina of the Sun Belt Conference. The Pirates are 3-4 against the spread in their last seven games.

East Carolina vs Coastal Carolina Odds

Odds as of December 24 at Caesars Sportsbook. See the available Caesars Sportsbook bonus code here.

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The kickoff for this game set for Tuesday, December 27 at 6:45 pm ET at Protective Stadium. The weather forecast is calling for cloudy skies, 2 mph wind and a temperature of 43 degrees. Broadcast of the game is being carried by ESPN.

Pirates vs Chanticleers Betting Trends

In the CFB public betting splits, there’s mixed emotions afoot among both moneyline and spread bettors. In the spread splits, 60% of the handle is going with East Carolina. However, 52% of bets are on Coastal Carolina. As far as the moneyline splits, 69% of handle likes the Chanticleers, with 80% of bets going for the Pirates.

There’s more certainty with the total. Both handle (76%) and bets (59%) are with the over. The over has hit in four of Coastal Carolina’s last six games.

Pirates Offense Is Multi Faceted

Putting together back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in nearly a decade, next up for the Pirates is trying to win a bowl game. They haven’t succeeded at that in nine years.

Alabama bound 🛫 pic.twitter.com/rIc6YNk0gm

— ECU Football (@ECUPiratesFB) December 23, 2022

East Carolina QB Holton Ahlers has thrown for 3,408 yards and 23 touchdowns with only five interceptions in 2022. Sophomore running back Keaton Mitchell has run for 10 TDs and gone over 100 yards rushing in six consecutive games. He gained a career-high 222 yards on the ground in the regular-season finale against Temple.

Defensively, East Carolina has coughed up 88 points in the last two games. The Pirates are 4-2 ATS in their last six games.

Chanticleers In Disarray

The season isn’t winding down for Coastal Carolina as much as it is going down the drain. Head coach Jamey Chadwell departed Coastal Carolina on December 4 to become Liberty’s head coach.

Defensive coordinator Chad Staggs was promoted to interim head coach. North Carolina State offensive coordinator Tim Beck will be taking over as Chanticleers head coach next season.

Coastal Carolina QB Grayson McCall has cancelled his visit to Auburn this weekend in a change of events.

— Josh Taylor (@JoshTaylorFB) December 17, 2022

Plagued by a foot injury late in the season, Chanticleers quarterback Grayson McCall will be back under center. However, it’s going to be a swan song for him as well. He’s entering the transfer portal.

McCall has passed for 2,633 yards and 24 touchdowns, against just two interceptions. Over his career at Coastal Carolina, McColl has thrown for 8,019 yards and 78 TDs.

East Carolina vs Coastal Carolina Prediction

The Pirates are 0-2 in the Birmingham Bowl. They lost to Florida in 2015 and South Florida in 2006. East Carolina’s previous bowl win came in 2013, a 37-20 win over Ohio in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl.

Coastal Carolina is 1-1 in bowl games. The Chanticleers outscored Northern Illinois 47-41 in last year’s Cure Bowl.

McColl and the Chanticleers could take advantage of the Pirates’ AAC-worst pass defense that’s allowed 962 yards through the air the past two games. However, East Carolina’s balanced attack should carry the day against a Coastal Carolina team that’s lost the past two games while surrendering 92 points.

The Chanticleers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 as an underdog, but only 2-6 ATS in their last eight games this season.

Pick: East Carolina Pirates -7  (-110)