East Carolina Pirates vs Old Dominion Monarchs Prediction, 9/19/2026 College Football Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: East Carolina Pirates vs Old Dominion Monarchs

Date: Saturday, September 19, 2026

Location: S.B. Ballard Stadium in Norfolk, VA

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: Monarchs (-3.0)

Total/Over-Under: 48.5

The Old Dominion Monarchs (1-1) will take on the East Carolina Pirates (0-2) at S.B. Ballard Stadium on Saturday, September 19, 2026. Old Dominion opens this matchup as 3-point favorites. The betting total is set at 48.5.

The East Carolina Pirates come into this matchup with a record of 0-2 this season. In their last game, the Pirates played against the Appalachian State Mountaineers and took a loss by a final of 27-24. Once the final whistle blew, they tallied 72 plays which gave them 417 yards. The East Carolina Pirates ended up rushing 35 times and accounted for 187 yds, earning them an average of 5.3 yards per carry. Against the run, the Pirates conceded 128 yards on 44 tries, which calculates to 2.9 yards per run allowed. East Carolina conceded 20 pass completions on 28 attempts for a total of 267 yds, and a completion percentage of 71.4%.

The Pirates have tallied 579 total yards for the season. When it comes to distribution of touchdowns, East Carolina has totaled 3 passing touchdowns and 1 touchdown on the ground. They have turned the ball over 3 different times. East Carolina has compiled 27 first downs as a unit, and they have been hurt by 15 penalties for 133 yds. As a team they maintain an average of 94.5 yards on the ground which ranks them 125th in the country. In terms of putting the ball in the endzone, the East Carolina Pirates are sitting at 17.0 points per game.

The Pirates are sitting in 131st in Division 1 concerning the opposition scoring, conceding 37.5 points per game. They are allowing 3.8 yards per rush on the ground and 177.5 rushing yards per game this season. Over the course of this year, they have conceded 355 yards via the running game in 2 contests. Concerning passing yards, the Pirates have allowed 527 yds which has them ranked 114th in the country. They have yielded 263.5 yards per contest through the air in addition to allowing a completion percentage of 65.0%. For the year, they are surrendering 441.0 yards per contest ranking them 123rd in the nation. They have given up no TD's via the pass and 8 touchdowns via the ground game.

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The Monarchs come into this game with a record of 1-1 this season. When they last stepped on the gridiron, the Monarchs took a loss by a final score of 44-21 when they faced the Virginia Tech Hokies. The Monarchs finished with 310 yds while running 52 plays (6.0 yards per play). Old Dominion rushed for 4.0 yards per tote, finishing with a total of 123 yds on 31 carries. Old Dominion conceded 42 attempts on the ground for 89 yds (2.1 yds per rush). The Monarchs secondary gave up a completion percentage of 72.7%, relinquishing 327 yards on 32 out of 44 passing.

The Old Dominion Monarchs have an average of 314.5 yards/game, which has them ranked 120th in Division 1. The Old Dominion offense has 110 yds of penalties on 12 violations, which has them sitting 90th in D-1 in terms of helping out the other team. They maintain an average of 149.5 yards per game via the rush and have toted the ball for 299 yards for this season. They have thrown 1 pick while conceding 4 fumbles and they have been able to tally 27 first downs. Concerning their ability to score points, the Monarchs are ranked 90th in D-1 by tallying 26.0 points per game. During this campaign to this point, the Monarchs have thrown for a total of 330 passing yards in addition to holding an average of 165.0 throwing yards per contest, ranking them 119th in the country.

The Monarchs are relinquishing 27.0 points per game, which puts them 103rd in college football. Old Dominion has surrendered a total of 215 yards rushing (107.5 yards per game) as well as 3 touchdowns rushing for the campaign. They have allowed 2 touchdowns from the passing game in addition to 210.5 yards/outing, which puts them in 74th in college football. The Monarchs defense has been on the field for 146 plays, which is 113th in the country. Their defense has tallied 4 fumbles recovered and 1 pick for the season.

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

Tony's Pick: Take the Pirates +3.0

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