East Carolina Pirates vs Alabama Crimson Tide Prediction, 9/5/2026 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: East Carolina Pirates vs Alabama Crimson Tide

Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026

Location: Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Crimson Tide (-28.5)

Total/Over-Under: 52.5

The East Carolina Pirates (9-4 last season) are headed to Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday, September 5, 2026 where they will try to defeat the Alabama Crimson Tide (11-4 last year). Alabama opens this game as 28.5-point favorites. The over/under is set at 52.5.

The East Carolina Pirates wrapped up their year holding a 9-4 record. The last time they stepped onto the field, the Pirates played the Pittsburgh Panthers and notched a win by a score of 23-17. When it came to the battle of the line of scrimmage, the Pirates conceded 120 yds on 40 attempts, which calculates to 3.0 yards per run surrendered. East Carolina relinquished 25 pass completions on 40 tries for a total of 256 yards, and a completion rate of 62.5%. Overall, they ran 59 plays which gave them 249 yds. The East Carolina Pirates ran the ball 42 times and amassed 72 yards, which had them averaging 1.7 yds per attempt.

When talking about putting the ball in the endzone, the East Carolina Pirates were sitting at 32.7 points per contest. Offensively they maintained an average of 176.3 yards in the run game, which ranked them 45th in the country. The Pirates had 5,837 total yards for last season. East Carolina totaled 22 touchdowns via the pass and 31 rushing touchdowns. East Carolina accounted for 303 1st downs offensively, and they were hurt by 94 penalties for 800 yds. They turned the football over 14 times.

When talking about yards through the air, the Pirates allowed 3,000 yds which had them sitting in 98th in the nation. In their 13 games played, they allowed 230.8 yards per game through the air in addition to surrendering a completion percentage of 63.6%. They surrendered 351.0 yards/contest putting them at 50th in the nation. They conceded 16 touchdowns via the pass and 10 touchdowns via the ground game. They gave up an average of 3.6 yards per rush and 120.2 rushing yards per contest over the course of last season. Over the course of last year, they conceded 1,563 yards via the running game in 13 contests. The Pirates ranked 25th in D-1 when it comes to their opponents scoring, allowing 20.1 points per game.

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The Crimson Tide wrapped up their year with a 11-4 mark. When they last stepped on the field, the Crimson Tide went home defeated by a final of 38-3 against the Indiana Hoosiers. Alabama allowed 50 rushing attempts for 215 yards (4.3 yards per carry). The Crimson Tide pass defense allowed a completion percentage of 87.5%, relinquishing 192 yards on 14 out of 16 through the air. The Crimson Tide finished the game with 193 yds while they ran 50 plays (3.9 yds per play). Alabama rushed the football for 1.4 yards per tote, finishing the contest with 23 yds on 17 carries.

The Alabama Crimson Tide averaged 367.7 yards per outing, which ranked them 84th in D-1. The Alabama offense had 596 yds of penalties on 68 infractions, which had them sitting 100th in Division 1 in terms of giving up free yards. They had an average of 104.1 yards per game via the rush and toted the ball for 1,562 yards in total. They threw 5 interceptions while surrendering 8 fumbles and they tallied 305 1st downs. Concerning this team's ability to score points, the Crimson Tide ranked 49th in Division 1 scoring 29.5 points per contest. Last season, the Crimson Tide had a total of 3,953 yards via the pass as well as averaging 263.5 passing yards per game, which had them ranked 29th in the nation.

The Crimson Tide relinquished 19.2 PPG, which had them sitting 20th in college football. Alabama allowed a total of 1,904 rushing yards (126.9 yards per game) and 17 touchdowns via the rush last season. They surrendered 17 touchdowns from the passing game as well as 169.9 yards/outing, which had them ranked 9th in the country. The Crimson Tide defense participated in 905 plays, which had them sitting 108th in D-1. They compiled 9 fumbles recovered and 11 picks last season. Over the course of the season, they relinquished 288 total points.

Who will win tonight's Pirates/Crimson Tide college football game against the spread?

Tony's Pick: Take the Crimson Tide -28.5

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