Wk 1 · 2026
East Carolina Pirates at Alabama Crimson Tide — Sat, Sep 5
Sat, Sep 5 ·
Bryant-Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, AL
· ABC 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.
at
12:00pET
ALA -27.5 · total 52.5 DraftKings opened -28.5 · 1 toward ECU
Ratings differential ALA by 34.5
What is at stake
A non-conference game. It moves both overall records but neither conference race. Alabama is ranked #6 (AP Top 25 · 2026-10-04).
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
Efficiency margin
Offense (pts/100)
Defense (pts/100)
Pace (plays/g)
Yards / play
Yards / play allowed
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
Points / game
Points allowed
Yards / game
Yards allowed
Pass yds allowed
Rush yds allowed
Turnovers / game
From completed 2026 box scores;
defensive yardage covers the regular season and conference championships.
East Carolina form
W 28-12vs RICEW 42-9vs NCCUW 20-17at ODUL 24-27vs APPL 10-48at ALA
2026 season
Alabama form
L 17-20vs UGAW 56-23at MSSTW 49-18vs SCW 50-36vs FSUW 45-17at UK
2026 season
East Carolina this season
Straight up3-2 · 60% (5 games)
Against the spread2-3 · 40% (5 games)
Over / under1-4 · 20% (5 games)
Alabama this season
Straight up5-1 · 83% (6 games)
Against the spread4-2 · 67% (6 games)
Over / under5-1 · 83% (6 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, Alabama leads 1–0 · Alabama won the last one
1 meeting
in 2006–2026 · average margin
38.0 points toward Alabama
| Yr | Date | Result | Site | Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-09-05 | East Carolina 10 — 48 Alabama | at ALA | Alabama |
East Carolina leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Mitch Griffis QB #12 | 36/67, 425 YDS, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| Emory Williams QB #9 | 31/46, 386 YDS, 3 TD, 1 INT | |
| Rushing | TJ Engleman Jr. RB #4 | 31 CAR, 250 YDS, 2 TD |
| Ashton Gray RB #3 | 32 CAR, 152 YDS | |
| Mitch Griffis QB #12 | 22 CAR, 75 YDS | |
| Receiving | Ray Ray Joseph Jr. WR #1 | 19 REC, 199 YDS |
| Jeremiah Melvin WR #11 | 11 REC, 154 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Dillon Lorick WR #14 | 3 REC, 87 YDS | |
| Tyler Johnson WR #2 | 4 REC, 86 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | DJ Johnson Jr. LB #11 | 29 |
| Jackson Barker LB #1 | 25 | |
| Kevon Merrell Jr. DB #4 | 24 | |
| Sacks | Jasiyah Robinson DL #0 | 2.5 |
| Kieran Davis DL #5 | 2 | |
| Julien Davis LB #42 | 1 | |
| Interceptions | Ayden Duncanson DB #13 | 2 |
| Myles Pollard DB #12 | 1 | |
| Angelo Ross DB #22 | 1 |
Alabama leaders 2026 regular season
| Passing | Keelon Russell QB #12 | 94/132, 1414 YDS, 11 TD, 2 INT |
| Austin Mack QB #10 | 3/4, 23 YDS | |
| Rushing | Daniel Hill RB #4 | 51 CAR, 247 YDS, 4 TD |
| Trae'shawn Brown RB #17 | 42 CAR, 211 YDS, 5 TD | |
| EJ Crowell RB #13 | 26 CAR, 204 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Receiving | Ryan Coleman-Williams WR #1 | 20 REC, 376 YDS, 4 TD |
| Lotzeir Brooks WR #3 | 21 REC, 352 YDS, 1 TD | |
| Rico Scott WR #7 | 16 REC, 196 YDS, 3 TD | |
| Marshall Pritchett TE #9 | 7 REC, 148 YDS |
Defense
| Tackles | Luke Metz LB #4 | 38 |
| Caleb Woodson LB #7 | 33 | |
| Red Morgan DB #6 | 22 | |
| Sacks | Devan Thompkins DL #1 | 3 |
| Terrance Green DL #99 | 2.5 | |
| Caleb Woodson LB #7 | 2 | |
| Interceptions | Red Morgan DB #6 | 2 |
| Yhonzae Pierre LB #0 | 1 | |
| Caleb Woodson LB #7 | 1 |
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.