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West Virginia East Carolina Spread, Line, Odds & Football Picks

Written by Jimmy Boyd

The West Virginia Moutaineers are 1-0 as they head to Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium to take on the Pirates of East Carolina. The oddsmakers over at Bookmaker have the early line set at West Virginia -8 over East Carolina with a total set at 51.

Last week West Virginia torched Villanova 48-21 in their season opener. Even though the Mountaineers were no. 4 in the nation in rushing last year, Pat White decided he was going to open the passing game up to start the season. With a career high five touchdown passes and 208 yards on 25-33 passing, White proved that he doesn’t need his legs or the legs of Steve Slaton to move the ball. The one-two punch of White and Slaton had proved successful over the last three years, as the team reached the 11-win mark each year and also averaged over 290 ypg on the ground.

However, Slaton is gone, having opted for the NFL after his junior season. That leaves the tailback duties in the hands, or feet, of Noel Devine, who as a freshman averaged 8.6 ypc. White and Devine combined for 110 yards on 18 carries in the opener.

The 205 passing yards and 149 rushing yards marked a departure from what had been working for this team. The Mountaineers only threw for more yards than they ran for once in 2007, and that was in a loss to South Florida. This year however the program is determined to stress the pass more than they have in the past. This should enable the team to take advantage when the opposition tries to stuff eight men in the box.

One concern for West Virginia may be the defense, which gave up 21 points and nearly 400 yards of total offenese. Villanova had a time of posession of more than 37 minutes. Numbers that are a concern when the team will be playing a more challenging opponent this week in East Carolina. However, West Virginia has beaten East Carolina seven straight times since 2000, outscoring them 278-103. If you like the odds on West Virginia -8 then head over to BetUS and get a big signup bonus on your first deposit.

East Carolina is coming off a big win against then no. 17 Virginia Tech last Saturday. The Pirates had 369 yards in total offense as they mounted a strong 27-22 comeback victory. ECU has now beat two straight ranked opponents after upsetting Boise State in the 2007 Hawaii Bowl. Skip Holtz has done an admirable job as head man for the Pirates, leading the team to two straight winning seasons after taking over a program that was just 7-28 in the three prior seasons.

The win last week was captured by a block punt that was returned for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Even with that play making the headlines, we want to emphasize the play of senior quarterback Patrick Pinkney, who completed 19-of-23 passes for a touchdown. The PIrates are hoping his numbers are similiar to last week and not like the Mountaineer game a year ago, when he went 7-for-14 with a pick as West Virginia beat up the East Carolina 48-7 in Morgantown. If you like the +8 spread on East Carolina then head over to BetUS, where you can get a big signup bonus on your initial deposit.

Get college football picks from our experts this weekend and be sure to make some money with your betting. Also, view our latest live college football odds from several top sportsbooks.

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