In a Southern-fried bowl match-up 8-4 East Carolina, which tied for first in the CUSA East but lost out on the tie-breaker, takes on 8-4 Louisiana-Lafayette in the New Orleans Bowl Saturday, Dec. 22 at the Superdome (noon ET, ESPN).
According to early New Orleans Bowl betting odds the Ragin' Cajuns, in a bowl for the second straight season, were favored by five points over the Pirates, who are back in a bowl after one-season absence.
The past 7 New Orleans Bowls played OVER the total. [ More New Orleans Bowl betting trends and picks ]
View East Carolina vs Louisiana-Lafayette Odds and Stats.
Betting Line: Bettors looking to back the visiting Pirates in this one found them as 4-point underdogs on the Sportsbook college football point spread at Sportsbook. Bookmark the college football odds pages to see where the over under line moves (it was 64.5 earlier at Sportsbook).
East Carolina Bowl History
| Year | Bowl | Team1 | Score | Team2 | Score | Team2Line | ATS win |
| 1995 | Liberty Bowl | Stanford | 13 | East Carolina | 19 | 3 | E.CAR |
| 1999 | Mobile Alabama Bowl | TCU | 28 | East Carolina | 14 | -5.5 | TCU |
| 2000 | GalleryFurniture.com Bowl | East Carolina | 40 | Texas Tech | 27 | -1 | E.CAR |
| 2001 | GMAC Bowl | Marshall | 64 | East Carolina | 61 | -2 | MARSHL |
| 2006 | Papajohns.com Bowl | East Carolina | 7 | South Florida | 24 | -5.5 | S.FLA |
| 2007 | Hawaii Bowl | East Carolina | 41 | Boise State | 38 | -11.5 | E.CAR |
| 2008 | Conference USA Championship | East Carolina | 27 | Tulsa | 24 | -12.5 | E.CAR |
| 2008 | Liberty Bowl | East Carolina | 19 | Kentucky | 25 | 3 | KENTUC |
| 2009 | Conference USA Championship | Houston | 32 | East Carolina | 38 | 1 | E.CAR |
| 2009 | Liberty Bowl | Arkansas | 20 | East Carolina | 17 | 7.5 | E.CAR |
| 2010 | Military Bowl | East Carolina | 20 | Maryland | 51 | -7.5 | MARYL |
Louisiana Lafayette Bowl History
| Year | Bowl | Team1 | Score | Team2 | Score | Team2Line | ATS win |
| 2011 | New Orleans Bowl | UL-Lafayette | 32 | San Diego State | 30 | -6 | UL.LAF |
How They Match Up:
The game also pits Louisiana-Lafayette's No. 33-ranked offense, averaging 34.8 PPG, against a Pirates defense that ranks No. 86 this week at 30.7 PPG. The Ragin` Cajuns aerial game is averaging 256.2 yards per game, less than the Pirates secondary allows through the air, 272.9 YPG per game.
Defensively, the Pirates feature the league's No. 11-rated road run defense, allowing 101.5 yards per game. Louisiana-Lafayette, meanwhile, ranks No. 36 in rushing offense at home.
East Carolina was a 65-59 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against Marshall. They failed to cover the 6.5-point spread as favorites, while the total score (124) made Sportsbooks of OVER bettors. In East Carolina's last outing, Shane Carden threw for 439 yards to lead the Pirates over Marshall 65-59 at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
In their last action, Louisiana-Lafayette was a 35-21 Sportsbook on the road against Florida Atlantic. They covered the 8.5-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (56) was profitable news for UNDER bettors. In their last game, Louisiana-Lafayette got a 127-yard performance from Alonzo Harris as a key part of its 35-21 win over Florida Atlantic.
East Carolina Pirates Trends:
When playing in December are 5-5
When playing on turf are 7-3
After being outgained are 7-3
When an underdog on the road are 3-7
Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin` Cajuns Trends:
When playing in December are 3-1
When playing on turf are 7-3
After being outgained are 6-4
When favored at home are 9-1
A few Pirates at Ragin` Cajuns trends to consider:
East Carolina is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of East Carolina's last 5 games
Louisiana-Lafayette is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Louisiana-Lafayette's last 6 games
