Birmingham Bowl Betting 2023 Odds, Predictions, Preview

The East Carolina Pirates defeated the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 53-29 in the 2022 Birmingham Bowl.

Check out last year's coverage here below and tune back in with us soon for the 2023 Birmingham Bowl Odds, Picks and Predictions.

The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers have been one of the most exciting Group of Five programs over the last few years. Jamey Chadwell led the Chanticleers to consecutive 11-win seasons in 2020 and 2021 with the help of three-time Sun Belt Player of the Year Grayson McCall, and the Chants have the potential to win double-digit games for the third straight season. 

However, Coastal Carolina is about to experience some seismic changes. Chadwell is now the head coach at Liberty, and McCall has entered the transfer portal. That’s why the East Carolina Pirates are more than a touchdown favorite by the college football betting odds in the Birmingham Bowl on Tuesday evening.

The TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl will be held on Tuesday, December 27, 2022, at 6:45 p.m. ET on ESPN from Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama.

East Carolina Pirates vs. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Betting Prediction

Whereas Coastal Carolina may need some time to rebuild under new head coach Tim Beck, East Carolina looks to be trending in the right direction. Mike Houston has led the Pirates to back-to-back 7-5 seasons, and they could have won nine or ten games if things broke right this year. Holton Ahlers has the potential to post monster numbers on Tuesday, so the Pirates are the right side.

Score Prediction: East Carolina 41 Coastal Carolina 27
Best Bet: East Carolina -7

East Carolina Pirates vs. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Betting Odds

Birmingham Bowl Betting Resources

• Date: Tuesday, December 27, 2022
• TV-Time: ESPN, 6:45 p.m. ET
• Venue: Protective Stadium
• Location: Birmingham, Alabama
• Expert Picks

Updated on 11/15/2023

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East Carolina Pirates Betting Analysis

This will be the last game for Holton Ahlers in purple and gold after almost five years as the starting quarterback for East Carolina. Ahlers has broken several school records during his time in Greenville, and this has been his best season yet. He is completing 67.1% of his passes for 3,408 yards (7.9 YPA) with 23 touchdowns and five interceptions. We haven’t seen him use his legs as much this year, but he has run for 24 touchdowns in his collegiate career and can pick up tough yards with his big frame.

Keaton Mitchell was one of the best running backs in the conference, picking up First Team All-AAC honors for the second straight season. Mitchell ran for 1,325 yards (7.4 YPC) and 13 touchdowns, and he can be a dangerous receiver out of the backfield too. C.J. Johnson was a Second Team All-AAC selection and a deep ball threat with 60 receptions for 933 yards and nine touchdowns, while grad transfer Isaiah Winstead caught 82 passes for 1,013 yards and four TDs as the primary underneath receiver.

East Carolina had the 72nd ranked defense per SP+. The Pirates were very good against the run, surrendering just 3.6 YPC and 113.8 YPG on the ground to rank in the top 25 nationally in both categories. However, their pass defense was almost as bad as Coastal Carolina’s this season. ECU is giving up 8.8 YPA and 299.5 YPG through the air. Malik Fleming leads the team with six passes defensed and three interceptions, but he is a bit undersized and can be beat by tall receivers.

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Betting Analysis

Grayson McCall has been phenomenal over his last three seasons in Conway. McCall was banged up over the last month of the year and didn’t play again until the conference championship game, yet he was still named Sun Belt Player of the Year. He completed 69.1% of his passes for 2,633 yards (9.2 YPA) with 24 touchdowns and two interceptions, and McCall also ran for five touchdowns in this hybrid scheme. The star quarterback has not been the same since his injury though, as opponents have been able to take away a lot of what Coastal Carolina wants to do with the ground game.

To make matters worse, First Team All-SBC center Willie Lampkin is heading to North Carolina and won’t be taking part in the bowl game. C.J. Beasley and Reese White won’t be as effective on the ground, but we haven’t seen a lot of success out of this tandem for the last month and change. Top receiver Sam Pinckney has 67 receptions for 917 yards and three touchdowns, while Jared Brown and Tyson Mobley are the other targets.

Coastal Carolina didn’t take part in the Sun Belt Championship Game this season because the defense was atrocious. The defense ranked 97th in SP+, and the Chants gave up a ton of yards through the air. They were allowing 9.0 YPA and 266.5 YPG in the passing game, and they will be without Second Team All-SBC Josaiah Stewart after he joined Michigan through the transfer portal. This secondary is thin and cannot afford any injuries.

Birmingham Bowl History

The Birmingham Bowl debuted in 2006, and the matchup has conference tie-ins with the AAC, SEC, C-USA, and MAC. The game takes place at Legion Field from Birmingham, Alabama. This game was previously called the PapaJohns.com Bowl and the BBVA Compass Bowl prior to dropping its sponsors in 2015. 

Favorites have won three of the last four matchups in the Birmingham Bowl. The 2019 edition watched Cincinnati dominate Boston College in wire-to-wire fashion for a 38-6 victory and that was the second Birmingham bowl victory for the Bearcats.

The 2020 installment of the Birmingham Bowl was wiped out by, what else, COVID-19. The game returned on Dec. 28, 2021, and the Houston Cougars of the AAC were tasked with taking on the Auburn Tigers of the SEC, and a mostly Tigers crowd. Houston erased a three-point deficit with a late touchdown to win it 17-13. Favorites are now 7-2 ATS across the past nine versions of this game. The 'under' is also 5-1-1 across the past seven installments.

For more coverage of bowl season, check out our College Football Bowl Central!