BYU vs. East Carolina, Picks and Prediction, Saturday, September 20, 2025

BYU (2-0, 0-0 Big 12) will be going for their first road win of the season when they visit Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium on Saturday night to face East Carolina (2-1, 0-0 American) at 7:30 PM. ET. Read on to find out which team picks up the win in this Cougars vs. Pirates prediction. Don’t get sacked this football season! Try our College Football Picks!

The Cougars are coming off a 27-3 win over Stanford as 20.5-point favorites. The Pirates are coming off a 38-0 win over Coastal Carolina as seven-point favorites.

East Carolina is 2-1 in three games against BYU. The Pirates won the last meeting in 2022, 27-24.

BYU Going For Third Consecutive Win

The Cougars are off to a good start this season after winning their first two games. They are hitting the road for the first time and will try to pick up their first road win of the season when they play on Saturday.

BYU is averaging 46 points per game through two games. They are throwing for 156.5 yards and rushing for 312.5 yards per game.

Bear Bachmeier has completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 272 yards and three touchdowns. He also has 39 rushing yards and three touchdowns. LJ Martin leads the team with 26 carries for 241 yards, while Chase Roberts has six catches for 88 yards and one touchdown.

BYU is giving up 1.5 points per game through two games. They are giving up 142 passing yards and 19 rushing yards per game.

East Carolina Going For Second Consecutive Home Win

The Pirates bounced back from their season-opening loss to NC State with wins over Campbell and Coastal Carolina. They will try to keep the momentum going and pick up their second straight home win when they play on Saturday.

East Carolina averages 41 points per game. They are throwing for 346.3 yards and rushing for 135.3 yards per game.

Katin Houser has completed 72 percent of his passes for 973 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception. London Montgomery leads the team with 30 carries for 108 yards and two touchdowns, while Anthony Smith leads the team with 23 catches for 241 yards.

East Carolina is giving up nine points per game. They are giving up 245 passing yards and 86 rushing yards per game.

BYU vs. East Carolina Pick

Point Spread Pick for BYU vs. East Carolina

• BYU Cougars -6.5 (4 Units)

The Cougars have won two straight games, while the Pirates have won two of their three games. BYU has the edge here because they’ve been committed to their ground game, racking up more than 300 rushing yards per game. This will force the Pirates to commit to stopping the run and will open up the passing game for Bacmeier to torch their secondary, which hasn’t been very good so far.

East Carolina won't be as successful offensively because they don’t have a good ground game, which has forced them to air the ball out. Unfortunately for them, the Cougars have a great pass defense, and they do a good job of getting to opposing quarterbacks, so expect them to keep pressure on Houser and force him to make costly mistakes. Take BYU to cover the spread.

Over/Under Pick for BYU vs East Carolina

• Under 49.5 (4 Units)

The Cougars played under the total in two of their last three games, while the Pirates played under the total in five of their last six games. BYU averages 46 points per game. They run the ball 58 percent of the time, and they’re facing a team that is 17th against the run and is giving up nine points per game. The Pirates average 41 points per game. They throw the ball 52 percent of the time, and they’re facing a team that is 17th against the pass and is giving up 1.5 points per game. Don’t expect these teams to score enough points to push the score over the total. The Cougars and Pirates played under the total in two of their three meetings.