The Temple Owls (2-5, 1-2 AAC) travel to Greenville, North Carolina, to take on the East Carolina Pirates (3-4, 1-2) on Saturday, Oct. 26.
The game kicks off at 2 p.m. ET and can be seen live on ESPN+.
Temple has struggled once again this season, while East Carolina just made a massive change in leadership by firing head coach Mike Houston.
Despite the move, the Pirates enter this game as 6.5-point favorites with an over/under posted at 48.5.
Where does the betting value lie? Read more for my Temple vs East Carolina predictions and college football picks for Saturday, Oct. 26.
Temple Football vs East Carolina Football Prediction
- Temple vs East Carolina Pick: East Carolina -7.5
My Temple vs East Carolina best bet is on the Pirates to cover the spread, with the best line currently available at BetMGM, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
Temple vs East Carolina Odds, Spread, Lines
| Temple Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7.5 -110 | 48.5 -115o / -105u | +240 |
| East Carolina Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7.5 -110 | 48.5 -115o / -105u | -300 |
- Temple vs East Carolina Point Spread: Temple +7.5 (-110) · East Carolina -7.5 (-110)
- Temple vs East Carolina Total: Over/Under 48.5 (-115o / -105u)
- Temple vs East Carolina Moneyline: Temple +240 · East Carolina -300
Temple Football vs East Carolina Football Preview
Temple Owls Betting Preview: Owls Coming To Life
Temple comes in after notching a 20-10 conference win at home against Tulsa.
The Owls controlled the first half, jumping out to a 17-0 lead at intermission before holding off a Tulsa second-half charge.
The Temple offense has come to life recently due to the play of backup quarterback Evan Simon. Simon completed 30-of-46 passes for 297 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the win against the Golden Hurricane.
The Temple defense had their best performance of the season, holding Tulsa to just 240 total yards while forcing two turnovers in the victory.
Is Temple improving, or was this the result of catching an equally bad team in a tough road spot?
East Carolina Pirates Betting Preview: Some Positives to Take
East Carolina comes in off a blowout loss against Army. The Pirates never seriously threatened to win the game and were baffled by the Army option rushing attack that has dazzled all season.
East Carolina did have some positive takeaways in the contest despite the blowout nature of the loss. I was impressed with the ECU run defense, which only yielded three explosive runs against them in the game.
Army did find success at the point of attack and wore down ECU up front, but the defensive front seven for ECU did OK given what they were up against.
I was also impressed with the effort shown in the second half by the Pirates offensively. Every drive but one in the second half resulted in a score, and quarterback Katin Houser ended with 282 yards and three touchdown passes.
Unbelievably, the Pirates snuck through the back door, getting a touchdown and successful two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter to stay within the number.
Temple vs East Carolina Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Temple and East Carolina match up statistically:
Temple Offense vs. East Carolina Defense
 | Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 130 | 16 | |
| Line Yards | 103 | 6 | |
| Pass Success | 106 | 105 |  |
| Havoc | 118 | 44 | |
| Finishing Drives | 91 | 109 | |
| Quality Drives | 120 | 61 | |
East Carolina Offense vs. Temple Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 107 | 86 | |
| Line Yards | 109 | 99 | |
| Pass Success | 65 | 87 | |
| Havoc | 117 | 129 | |
| Finishing Drives | 120 | 84 | |
| Quality Drives | 111 | 97 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 17 | 56 |
| PFF Coverage | 31 | 36 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 41 | 38 |
| Middle 8 | 103 | 92 |
| Seconds per Play | 27.9 (84) | 21.3 (1) |
| Rush Rate | 49% (106) | 48% (100) |
How To Make College Football Picks For My Temple vs East Carolina Prediction
I think East Carolina is worth a play this week, laying under a touchdown at home. This is a real “rally the troops” moment for this proud group after the firing of Houston.
While ECU isn't going to win the conference, it has four winnable games left on the schedule, and making a bowl game is important and meaningful for this program.
I fully expect a spirited effort here against the Owls with interim coach and current defensive coordinator Blake Harrell taking over.
ECU has significant advantages in this game, particularly on defense, which should make it difficult for Temple. ECU is 22nd in Defensive Stuff Rate, while Temple ranks just 124th offensively in preventing stuffs.
Temple can't run the ball, averaging just 89 yards per game and 2.8 yards per carry on the season.
The offensive line play for the Owls has been weak all season, which has caused Temple to have to resort to quick sideline-to-sideline short passing. The Owls are just 125th nationally in Offensive EPA Per Play and 107th in Passing Success Rate.
I can't see Temple protecting the quarterback here and fully expect a poor effort in the run game.
Offensively, I was encouraged by the effort and success ECU had late in the Army game. Pulling the plug on Jake Garcia and letting Houser lead the offense will lead to fewer turnovers and more scoring for the Pirates.
ECU has struggled to run the football this season, but I expect the running lanes to be there against one of the worst rush defenses in the conference.
Temple is just 100th nationally in Rushing Success Rate allowed and 103rd in Defensive EPA Per Rush. Having some reliability in the ground game here will help take the pressure off of the passing game to have to make plays on third and long, a situation ECU was in far too often against Army.
ECU has had some tough breaks this year, twice blowing three score leads against App State and Liberty. The last two weeks are not indicative of how this team is capable of playing, and at home with new leadership and a refreshed sense of urgency, I expect the Pirates to play their best game of the season.
Temple has had some solid performances at home this year, but it's 0-3 on the road. Take the Pirates to get this ship sailing in the right direction.
Pick: East Carolina -7.5 (-110, BetMGM) | Play to -9 (-110)
How to Watch Temple vs East Carolina Live: Start Time, TV Channel, Location
| Location: | Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, NC |
| Date: | Saturday, Oct. 26 |
| Kickoff Time: | 2 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPN+ |
