East Carolina vs Florida Birmingham Bowl Odds Preview

Posted by D.Zamzack on Friday,January 2, 2015 1:08, EDT in

By the time East Carolina and Florida meet in the Birmingham Bowl, we will be just a couple of games away from the end of another great college football betting season. This may not look like a very glamorous match-up, but this may actually be better than many people might think, as it pits a solid offense against one of the best defenses in the country.

How To Bet the Pirates vs Gators Birmingham Bowl Odds & Game Info

Date/Time: Saturday, January 3rd, 12:00 PM
Location: Legion Field, Birmingham, Alabama
Game Odds: EAST CAROLINA: +7-110, OV 56 -110, ML +210, FLORIDA: -7-110, UN 56 -110, ML -250

Why Bet on the East Carolina Pirates

The East Carolina Pirates went off to a blistering start this season, with their offense lighting it up along the way. They looked set to be heading to one of the major bowl games, but the wheels came off quickly, as they lost 3 of their final 5 games of the season. The defense fell apart during this stretch, an there were too many occasions where the offense, which ranked second-best in the nation in passing, seemed all too keen to join them at times. The low light of the season was the 20-10 loss to Temple, but some of that bad taste can be washed away with a win over Florida.  East Carolina has a chance to win back-to-back bowl games for the first time since a three-game streak from 1963-65.

Why Bet on the Florida Gators

It was a tumultuous season for the Florida Gators, as the Will Muschamp era officially came to an end when he was fired going into the final week of the season. Their biggest problem was a total lack of any kind of air attack. It’s unfortunate, too, as this is a team that can pound the ball, as well as having a defense that ranked number nine in the nation. When the Gators got as fired up as their ex-coach, they were tough to beat, but that just didn’t happen often enough. It’s going to be interesting to see how this team evolves under new coach Jim McElwain, but we are going to have to wait until next season to find out.

My Expert Betting Prediction and Pick

As always, it’s the SEC team that gets the nod, as the bookies have made Florida a 6.5-point favorite for this one. The Gators were just 6-5 ATS, but the stat that stands out comes when you look at what they did versus non-conference opponents, where they went 3-0 ATS. The East Carolina Pirates were just 5-7 ATS on the season, but they also thrived against non-conference foes, going 4-0 ATS. The team that controls the clock is the one that is most likely to win here, and it’s fair to say that the Florida gators have the running game to make that happen. I think that gives them the edge, which is why I like them to win, and to cover, but only by the slightest of margins.