It’s been a tough season for both the East Carolina Pirates and the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. However, after navigating through stormy waters and parting ways with their captain, the Pirates have charted a new course. With a win on Thursday night, they can lock in bowl eligibility.
Will the Golden Hurricane stir up trouble, or will the Pirates sail into a bowl berth? Our East Carolina vs. Tulsa prediction breaks it all down—from the latest betting odds to what’s ahead for both teams in the remainder of the 2024 college football season.
East Carolina vs. Tulsa Betting Preview
All East Carolina vs. Tulsa odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook and are correct as of Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. The CFN Spread comes from College Football Network’s Football Playoff Meter.
- CFN FPM Spread
East Carolina -6 - Spread
East Carolina -15 - Moneyline
East Carolina -675, Tulsa +490 - Over/Under
63.5 points - Game time
7:30 p.m. ET - Location
Chapman Stadium | Tulsa, OK - Predicted Weather at Kick
46 degrees, low clouds with rain possible, 5 mph winds - How to Watch
ESPN
Thursday night sees the 18th edition of this East Carolina vs. Tulsa matchup. The Golden Hurricane has swept the Pirates away in the last four encounters, taking a 9-8 head-to-head advantage into this edition after a streak of victories dating back to 2016. However, the tide is flowing against the home team right now, and East Carolina enters the game as a significant favorite.
MORE: Simulate the College Football Season with CFN’s College Football Playoff Predictor
Being the favorite has been a challenging spot for East Carolina this year. Yet, since interim head coach Blake Harrell took the reigns, the Pirates are 2-0 and have covered the spread in both games. Both games hit the over too, and they’re 4-0 covering the points line in the last four. Take East Carolina to win, cover, and take the over against a Tulsa team that is 3-6 ATS this year.
East Carolina’s Winning Probability
According to the CFN FPM, East Carolina has a 66.4% chance of beating Tulsa on Thursday night. Our metric correctly projected the Pirates’ last two games, albeit with shorter spread lines than official lines from multiple oddsmakers.
Here are the remaining win probabilities for East Carolina in the 2024 season:
- at Tulsa: 66.4%
- at North Texas: 47.2%
- vs. Navy: 46.2%
Tulsa’s Winning Probability
Conversely, Tulsa has a 33.6% chance of beating East Carolina. Our metric has been a little off for the Golden Hurricane in the last two weeks, predicting a win over the UAB Blazer and a loss to the UTSA Roadrunners, giving Golden Hurricane fans at least a semblance of hope ahead of Thursday night’s game.
Here are the remaining win probabilities for Tulsa in the 2024 season:
- vs. East Carolina: 33.6%
- at USF: 17.2%
- vs. Florida Atlantic: 42.6%
Prediction for East Carolina vs. Tulsa
For Tulsa, a loss on Thursday would mark three straight seasons without a postseason appearance, a stark contrast to the team that electrified the AAC in 2020. The stakes are high—who gets the result they need? Which team holds the edge in this matchup, and where will the key battles unfold?
Kevin Wilson came to Tulsa with a strong reputation as an offensive guru, having engineered some of the most explosive offenses in college football. But that success has been elusive with the Golden Hurricane. Thursday’s game hinges on Wilson’s inability to recreate a dynamic, high-scoring unit.
Tulsa’s offense has sputtered all season, averaging just 24.8 points per game. Outside of victories over UTSA and Northwestern State, they haven’t surpassed 24 points in a game, and they’ve been held to 10 or fewer three times. A non-existent run game has forced the team to lean heavily on quarterbacks Kirk Francis and Cooper Legas, with lackluster results—Tulsa ranks 11th of 14 AAC teams in yards per pass.
On the other side, East Carolina has turned its season around since defensive coordinator Blake Harrell stepped in as interim head coach. A key part of their resurgence has been naming Katin Houser the starting quarterback after an early-season rotation with Jake Garcia. The former four-star recruit from St. John Bosco has elevated ECU’s passing attack and brings dual-threat ability that makes him tough to defend.
Defensively, Tulsa hasn’t been able to stop anyone. The Golden Hurricane have allowed at least 20 points in every game, with opponents scoring 40+ five times, including their last two outings. Quarterbacks have shredded Tulsa’s secondary, averaging 308.6 yards and 9.4 yards per attempt while completing 65.1% of their passes and throwing for over three touchdowns per game.
Expect a standout performance from Houser, along with receivers Winston Wright Jr. and Chase Sowell, as the Pirates sail toward bowl eligibility, leaving Tulsa to weather another storm.
Prediction: East Carolina 45, Tulsa 21
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