East Carolina vs NC State prediction & betting tips - Dec. 28 - Military Bowl

The East Carolina Pirates will play the NC State Wolfpack on Saturday at 5:45 p.m. ET in the Military Bowl. The game can be seen on ESPN. East Carolina (7-5) ended the year with a 34-20 loss to Navy. NC State (6-6) became bowl-eligible with a 35-30 win over North Carolina in its final game of the regular season.

East Carolina vs. NC State: Preview

East Carolina is a six-point underdog, with the over/under set at 58.5 points.

The Pirates have several key players in the transfer portal, which is a usual occurrence for the school. The list of players not playing in the bowl game is as follows:

• Bryson Harrison, QB (transfer portal)
• Kenny Walz, OL (transfer portal)
• Kerry King, WR (transfer portal)
• Amarie Archer, OL (transfer portal)
• Chase Sowell, WR (transfer portal)

The Pirates have used two quarterbacks. Katin Houser threw for 1,859 yards, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Jake Garcia passed for 1,426 yards, eight touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

NC State, meanwhile, barely made it to bowl eligibility but is not missing many players, as the full list of Wolfpack players in the portal is as follows:

• Wyatt Wright, LB (transfer portal)
• KC Concepcion, WR (transfer portal)
• Red Hibbler, EDGE (transfer portal)

Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren says his team is pumped to play an in-state rival in a bowl game.

"We look forward to playing them," Doeren said, via CBS. "It's a game that goes a long way back. We don't get to play each other very often. It's been a while. I don't know how many of our players, the way rosters change anymore, are going to remember the last time we played. They're excited to go to a bowl game."

NC State is led by CJ Bailey, who threw for 2,183 yards, 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Bailey took over for Grayson McCall after McCall was injured and forced to retire. The QB looks to use the upcoming game to further his development for next season.

The Wolfpack's offense doesn't have a true No. 1 running back or a No. 1 receiver. However, NC State has a plethora of options that will make their offense hard to defend.

CJ Bailey should carve up this defense to get a big win here.

Prediction: NC State 28, East Carolina 17

East Carolina vs. NC State: Betting Tips

Tip 1: NC State -6 (-112)

Tip 2: Under 58.5 points (-112)

Tip 3: NC State first half ML (-180)