Make no mistake about it; the NC State Wolfpack see themselves as contenders for the ACC crown this season. What to keep in mind when it comes to Wolfpack vs. Pirates betting stats is the Wolfpack will carry the burden of trying to be contenders with them all season.
NCAAF Schedule
NC State comes into the season with a No. 13 ranking nationally and high expectations. However, NC State won’t open the season with a walk-over game.
The Wolfpack will travel to play East Carolina, which is a program NC State has a close history with. The Pirates are 4-2 all-time against the Wolfpack at home and return their starting quarterback from last season.
When it comes to games on the NCAAF schedule, this is an interesting matchup to open the season with.
NC State Wolfpack vs. East Carolina Pirates Stats
Wolfpack Stats
Looking at NCAAF odds for the Wolfpack shows NC State will bring back an experienced group. Ten starters will return on offense, and seven more come back on the defensive side of the ball for the Wolfpack.
NC State’s most important returning player may be quarterback Devin Leary. Last season, Leary threw for 3,400 yards and 35 touchdowns.
What was especially important about how Leary played was he didn’t give the ball away often.
Leary only threw five interceptions while guiding a team that put up 33.6 points per game. Coming back to support Leary will be his two top receivers from last year, Thayer Thomas and Devin Carter.
Wolfpack Defense
NC State’s defense was a group to be messed with last season. The Wolfpack ranked third in the ACC and 14th nationally in scoring defense.
NC State’s defense will be especially strong at linebacker. All-ACC linebacker Drake Thomas returns, and the Wolfpack will see the return of Isaiah Moore and Payton Wilson, both of whom missed a lot of time last season with injuries.
Pirates Stats
Anyone making NCAAF picks knows that East Carolina isn’t an easy place to win on the road. The Pirates also return senior quarterback Holton Ahlers, who passed for 31,31 yards and threw for 18 touchdowns last season.
Ahlers is an effective dual-threat quarterback but can be mistake-prone as he finished with 10 interceptions last season.
Wolfpack vs. Pirates betting stats also shows that East Carolina will return much more on offense than just Ahlers.
Pirates Top Receivers
The East Carolina Pirates will also return their top receivers, C.J. Johnson and Ryan Jones, along with running back Keaton Mitchell. Mitchell rushed for nearly 1,100 yards and scored nine touchdowns last season.
East Carolina’s defense was vulnerable to being gashed last season. The Pirates allowed 394.9 yards per game, which ranked 81st nationally.
East Carolina finished 7-5 last season, which was the first time the program finished with a winning record since 2015.
The Pirates didn’t get an opportunity to play in a bowl game as their meeting with Boston College was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wolfpack vs. Pirates Matchup Betting trends
- NC State was 7-5 against the spread last season.
- East Carolina was 19-4-1 against the spread last season.
- The over-under was 7-5 in the Wolfpacks’ games last season.
- The Pirates are 1-4 against the spread in their last five games against ACC foes.
Wolfpack vs. Pirates Betting Pick and Prediction
Wolfpack vs. Pirates Betting Stats shows that NC State is an 11.5-point favorite. NC State is -345 on the money line, while East Carolina is +325. The over/under is set at 51.5 points.
This is an interesting NCAAF matchup because of the reputation East Carolina has for giant-killing. But the problem for the Pirates their reputation for taking down big teams in the past won’t help this group beat a talented NC State team.
Who to Bet On?
The Wolfpack return an experienced quarterback and enough talent on defense that they should be able to cause problems for East Carolina’s quarterback.
While the Pirates won’t be overtaken easily, East Carolina will have a hard time slowing down Leary and NC State’s passing game. The Wolfpack will cover the 11.5-point spread and ruin East Carolina’s home opener.
Matchup Pick: Wolfpack -11.5 (-100)
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