Tonight, we have an American Conference matchup between the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and East Carolina Pirates. Tulsa is still seeking its first conference win for your college football bets, so let’s break down the matchup and give our best Thursday night football bets.
Best Bets for East Carolina vs. Tulsa
Tonight’s NCAAF odds for the only game with FBS teams show the Pirates from East Carolina are a considerable home favorite as they attempt to get above .500 again.
Last week, East Carolina lost 26-19 at Tulane after rallying back from a 12-0 deficit, leading in the 4th quarter, and giving up the game-winning touchdown pass in the final 35 seconds. It was a letdown for a defense that has been hit or miss all year.
Meanwhile, Tulsa’s offense has struggled most of the season during a 2-4 start, and they scored a season low 2 weeks ago in a 45-7 loss at Memphis before a bye week.
These teams met last November, with East Carolina rallying in the 4th quarter for a 38-31 win despite quarterback Katin Houser’s 3 interceptions. This season, Houser has thrown 8 touchdowns to 4 interceptions, but the overall offense hasn’t been as good as it was in 2024.
Thursday Odds: East Carolina -16.5
There are plenty of exciting college football games this week, but Thursday night is all about the East Carolina vs. Tulsa college football matchup.
East Carolina opened as a 15.5-point favorite before the line moved up to 16.5 or even 17.5 at certain sportsbooks, given the disparity in offensive success between these teams and the Pirates’ home-field advantage.
The total is 53.5 points, and it has remained consistently at that number following the 38-31 game these teams played last season.
Thursday Picks: East Carolina -16.5
This is a big spread for a conference game in a rematch that ended 38-31 last year.
However, the Golden Hurricane offense is simply anemic right now. The Pirates rank 15th in the nation in scoring defense, so holding Tulsa under 17 points wouldn’t be any surprise here even if they haven’t shut down any good offenses this year.
Still, the Tulsa offense isn’t good at all as neither starting quarterback has averaged more than 6.2 yards per pass attempt. They also average 2 turnovers per game.
All of East Carolina’s wins have been by at least 22 points this season and they are at home for this one. We’ll take them to cover the big spread for our best prediction in this matchup.
Expert Pick: East Carolina -16.5 (-115) at BetMGM
Tulsa RB Dominic Richardson: Anytime Touchdown Scorer
If Tulsa scores in this game, a good value pick for player props is for running back Dominic Richardson to get across the goal line. He leads the team with 125 touches, a whole 88 more than any other player on Tulsa. He’s only scored twice, but the opportunities are there for Richardson’s props, the former Oklahoma State and Baylor back.
East Carolina’s run defense has been solid, but it has allowed more rushing touchdowns per game (0.8) than passing touchdowns (0.7) this season. We like this pick for contrarian value and better than even odds, as the Golden Hurricane offense is not expected to score much.
Expert Pick: Dominic Richardson Anytime Touchdown Scorer (+135) at BetMGM
What We Covered and Next Steps
For your Thursday college football bets, the game we’re dialed in on is Tulsa vs. East Carolina. We like the home team Pirates to cover the spread and for Tulsa back Dominic Richardson to find the end zone.
Since timing is everything in sports betting, be sure to open your account today at a reputable sportsbook to find the best value and lines for this game and more in Week 8 of the college football season.
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You can get expert betting advice on every game, live game alerts, tracking of your bets across different sportsbooks, and 5-star picks with a 73% success rate. Ask for more picks on East Carolina vs. Tulsa or other Week 8 college football games like Louisville vs. Miami and Tennessee vs. Alabama.
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