It’s bowl season, which means we have a lot of football to watch between Dec. 13 and Jan. 19! Ohio State, Utah, Georgia Southern, Army, Texas A&M — and just about everyone in between — will take part in a total of 47 games that will ultimately conclude with the 2026 CFP National Championship.
NESN has you covered with previews for each and every game — with our next contest bringing us to the DMV:
2025 Go Bowling Military Bowl
Matchup: Pittsburgh Panthers vs. East Carolina Pirates
Date: Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025
Kickoff: 11 a.m. ET
Stadium: Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium — Annapolis, Md.
TV: ESPN
Game Overview
The Military Bowl has become one of bowl season’s more recognizable contests, with Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium giving the game a unique backdrop stretching back to 2013.
The ACC typically dominates this contest, winning in 2008, 2010, 2014, 2016, 2019, 2022, 2023, but the American can close the gap by adding another victory to their total (2015, 2017, 2018, 2024) in 2025.
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Team Overviews
Pittsburgh Panthers
Conference: ACC
Head Coach: Pat Narduzzi
Record: 8–4
Pittsburgh was one of many schools that had a shot at winning the ACC in 2025, though it lost out on a spot in the conference championship game after splitting the final two contests of the regular season with Georgia Tech (win) and Miami (loss).
Pat Narduzzi is entering his eighth bowl game at the helm, though he only has two victories and hasn’t finished the season with a victory since 2022.
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The Panthers are hoping their high-flying offense — 35.1 points per game (16th of 136) — will be enough to help them push things back in the right direction.
East Carolina Pirates
Conference: American
Head Coach: Blake Harrell
Record: 8-4
East Carolina is a program in transition, with starting quarterback Katin Houser announcing his intent to enter the transfer portal and offensive coordinator John David Baker and defensive coordinator Josh Aldridge leaving to take the same jobs at Ole Miss and USF, respectively.
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It’ll be hard to replace all of that…
The Pirates have some impressive wins — Army and Memphis — but don’t have the horses they had back when they knocked off teams with far more impressive resumes.
Players to Watch
Pitt
QB Mason Heintschel
QB Eli Holstein
RB Ja’Kyrian Turner
WR Kenny Johnson
WR Raphael Williams
DL Jimmy Scott
LB Kyle Louis
DB Kavir Baines
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ECU
QB Chaston Ditta
QB Mike Wright
RB London Montgomery
RB Marlon Gunn Jr.
WR Brock Spalding
DL Zion Wilson
DB Ja’Marley Riddle
Key Notes
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East Carolina finished pretty impressively offensively and defensively — averaging 33.5 points per game (22nd of 136) while only allowing 20.3 points per game (28th of 136).
Betting Lines
DraftKings Sportsbook: Pittsburgh -10 | O/U 55.5
FanDuel Sportsbook: Pittsburgh -10.5 | O/U 55.5
BetMGM Sportsbook: Pittsburgh -10 | O/U 55.5
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The Pick: Pittsburgh -10
