Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina

The gap between Pittsburgh, the top-scoring team in the Atlantic Coast Conference, and East Carolina of the American Athletic Conference just got even wider for the Military Bowl, with the Pirates losing all of their top skill position players, along with their offensive and defensive coordinators. Line movement has reflected this, but Pittsburgh still is not as high a favorite as it should be. East Carolina QB Katin Houser has opted out. So have receivers Yannick Smith and Jayvontay Conner, who combined for more than 900 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, for the Pirates. Their leading rusher, London Montgomery, is also out. The significant loss is Houser. He accounted for 3,300 yards passing with 19 touchdowns against just six interceptions. Pittsburgh had playoff aspirations until a loss to Miami during the final week of the regular season. Pittsburgh won by 14 or more points in seven of its eight victories. Take Pittsburgh.