College Football Picks: East Carolina vs. UAB (Thursday)

The East Carolina Pirates visit the UAB Blazers on Thursday, October 15, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama. East Carolina enters as a 5.5-point road favorite, while the over/under sits at 47.5 points. Our East Carolina vs. UAB best bets and predictions break down the matchup, spread and total to highlight the top betting opportunities for Thursday night college football.

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College Football Week 7 Picks for Thursday: East Carolina vs. UAB

Action on the gridiron continues into Thursday night, with 3 college football matchups on tonight’s slate. These Group of Six (G6) games feature East Carolina vs. UAB, Georgia Southern vs. Old Dominion, and Colorado State vs. Texas State, representing the American, Sun Belt, and Pac-12 conferences.

Oddsmakers expect a couple of tight contests with ECU and Georgia Southern both laying -5.5 or less as road favorites. Texas State is a sizable -14.5 home betting favorite, with a massive 69.5-point total. The other 2 games only have point totals set to 47.5.

I’ve found my best bet to place in all 3 of Thursday’s college football games. Each play is worth 1 unit. Here is my top picks and predictions for East Carolina vs. UAB.

East Carolina vs. UAB

Two American Conference foes go head-to-head from Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama, when UAB hosts ECU to kick off Thursday’s college football slate. Oddsmakers have East Carolina laying -5.5 on the road, with a 47.5-point total.

Since lines opened, ECU has moved from -6.5 to -5.5. The point total has cratered from 53.5 to 47.5, representing a massive 6.0-point dip.

77 percent of public money is on ECU’s moneyline at -205 odds, despite ECU only averaging 24.8 points per game. That’s 95th in the FBS and barely above UAB. (22.2). The defensive edge goes to the Pirates, who are limiting opponents to 22.6 points per game, compared to the Blazers allowing 25.8 points per game.

UAB is undefeated at home this season. ECU is riding a 3-game winning streak. However, they have been held to 28 or fewer points in 4 of 5 contests this season.

Facing a pedestrian offense, while leaning into a home-field advantage in prime time, I like taking the points with the home underdog. Let’s follow the steam and place a wager on UAB +5.5 for Thursday’s first best bet.

Pick: UAB +5.5 (-112)

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