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Wk 4 · 2026

North Carolina Central Eagles at East Carolina Pirates — Sat, Sep 26

Sat, Sep 26 · Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium, Greenville, NC · ESPN+ FINAL

Weather

No forecast yet. Forecasts reach about 16 days ahead, so this fills in nearer the game. A seasonal average printed here would look exactly like a forecast, which is why there is not one.
North Carolina Central Eagles
FCS / Other · 0-1
9
at
4:00pET
ECU -37.5 · total 58.5 DraftKings opened -34.5 · 3 toward ECU
No ratings differential: NC Central is not in the ratings file.
American · 3-2
42

What is at stake

A non-conference game. It moves both overall records but neither conference race.

What the ratings imply

The differential above is arithmetic on two published numbers: The CFB King’s 2026 final efficiency ratings, plus 2.4 points of home field. It is not a projection, a value, an edge or a lean, and nothing on this site compares it with the betting line to tell you one is better. Until 2026 games are played it is last season’s measurement of two teams that have changed.

Efficiency · 2026 ratings

NC Central: no data
Efficiency margin
East Carolina: -4.7#88
NC Central: no data
Offense (pts/100)
East Carolina: 27.0
NC Central: no data
Defense (pts/100)
East Carolina: 22.7
NC Central: no data
Pace (plays/g)
East Carolina: 63.2
NC Central: no data
Yards / play
East Carolina: 5.44
NC Central: no data
Yards / play allowed
East Carolina: 4.54
Opponent-adjusted ratings from The College King's 2026 final numbers. Bars share a scale within each row, so the two lengths are comparable; the brighter side is the better of the two, and a longer bar is the better number — including the rows where a lower figure is the good one. Pace is the exception: it is how fast a team plays, not how well, so neither side is lit and a longer bar there means only more plays.

Team stats · 2026 per game

NC Central: 9.0
Points / game
East Carolina: 24.8
NC Central: 42.0
Points allowed
East Carolina: 22.6
NC Central: 208
Yards / game
East Carolina: 344
NC Central: no data
Yards allowed
East Carolina: 319
NC Central: no data
Pass yds allowed
East Carolina: 173
NC Central: no data
Rush yds allowed
East Carolina: 147
NC Central: 3.00
Turnovers / game
East Carolina: 1.60
From completed 2026 box scores; defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.

NC Central form

L 9-42at ECU
2026 season

East Carolina form

W 28-12vs RICEW 42-9vs NCCUW 20-17at ODUL 24-27vs APPL 10-48at ALA
2026 season

NC Central this season

Straight up0-1 · 0% (1 games)
Against the spread1-0 · 100% (1 games)
Over / under0-1 · 0% (1 games)

East Carolina this season

Straight up3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Against the spread2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Over / under1-4 · 20% (5 games)
Lines are captured from ESPN's board before kickoff and locked at kickoff, so an in-play price cannot overwrite the number a game is graded against.

Common opponents · 0

These teams share no opponents on the 2026 schedule.
Open these two in the comparison tool for every shared and unshared opponent.

Series history · 2006–2026

Since 2006, East Carolina leads 2–0 · East Carolina has won the last 2
2 meetings in 2006–2026 · average margin 39.0 points toward East Carolina
Yr DateResultSiteWon
20262026-09-26NC Central 9 — 42 East Carolinaat ECUEast Carolina
20142014-08-30NC Central 7 — 52 East Carolinaat ECUEast Carolina

NC Central leaders

No tracked players for this team.
From this site’s tracked-player feed; ESPN published no season leaders for this team.
No roster page: this site tracks the 138 FBS teams.

East Carolina leaders 2026 regular season

PassingMitch Griffis QB #1236/67, 425 YDS, 3 TD, 2 INT
Emory Williams QB #931/46, 386 YDS, 3 TD, 1 INT
RushingTJ Engleman Jr. RB #431 CAR, 250 YDS, 2 TD
Ashton Gray RB #332 CAR, 152 YDS
Mitch Griffis QB #1222 CAR, 75 YDS
ReceivingRay Ray Joseph Jr. WR #119 REC, 199 YDS
Jeremiah Melvin WR #1111 REC, 154 YDS, 1 TD
Dillon Lorick WR #143 REC, 87 YDS
Tyler Johnson WR #24 REC, 86 YDS
Defense
TacklesDJ Johnson Jr. LB #1129
Jackson Barker LB #125
Kevon Merrell Jr. DB #424
SacksJasiyah Robinson DL #02.5
Kieran Davis DL #52
Julien Davis LB #421
InterceptionsAyden Duncanson DB #132
Myles Pollard DB #121
Angelo Ross DB #221
These are regular-season totals for the season named on each card — the players who led that team that year, taken from ESPN's team leaders. That list is keyed to the season, not to today's roster, so a leader who has since transferred or run out of eligibility still appears against the year he earned it; the roster pages and the depth chart on each team page are where the current squad is. A team switches to this season's numbers once it has played a game. The roster pages count bowl games too, so a player's two lines can differ by a game.