100% agree. If the program has upward aspirations, and I believe that it very justifiably and realistically does, then the very best Power 4 bowl opponent should be desired.

The program gains little if our matchup is with a group of 5 team (other than additional practice time). We need a interesting matchup with a Power 4 program and hopefully a big win. Lets all hope the portal does not hurt us too bad with our established players in the off season.

Excellent report. I always enjoy reading your work.

Thank you again for the sharp eye, Pirate63. It reinforces our intention take AI predictions with a grain of salt. K-State's record has been corrected to 6-6 and a potential Gasparilla Bowl foe is difficult to project because the ACC and SEC, which are affiliated with the bowl along with the AAC, may not be able to fill a spot. This opens the possibility of a wild card opponent. — Danny Whitford, Editor

Also Kansas St. is 6-6, and Liberty has a losing record at 4-8 and is not bowl eligible . It appears like AI used last years records.

Also Kansas St. is 6-6, and and Liberty has a losing record at 4-8 and is not bowl eligible . It appears like AI used last years records.

Thank you for bringing the error to our attention, Pirate63. The article has been revised to correct North Texas's overall record to 11-1. — Danny Whitford

Pirates football rightfully aspires to be more prominent on the national scene. Accordingly, other than a Power 4 bowl opponent would be disappointing.

North Texas is 11-1, not 9-3 as stated in 1st paragraph.

Every win is a good win, even when you beat a team that you should beat 9.9 out of 10 times. The Pirates managed to dot most of the i’s, and cross all of the t’s against the Owls. After last week’s debacle, FAU proved to be much easier to handle. 8-4 is a respectable record, and deserving of a decent bowl invite. I hope the Pirate staff recorded the Army-UTSA game. I don’t know how Army did it, but ECU needs some of whatever mojo Army pulled out of the hat in San Antonio. ECU’s win over Memphis represents the only win against a quality opponent. The Pirates have made progress under Coach Harrell, but how much of this team can he keep together? Hopefully, the team will want to stay together at least through the bowl game.

Yes, ECU flipped the script from last week, but FAU is inarguably one of the worst teams in D1, so speaking very honestly, what the Pirates did today is not terribly meaningful. Hopefully ECU will still secure a half respectable bowl vs. a half respectable Power 4 program. Opposing Wake Forest or Duke are among the projections I've heard, either of which I think would be favorable for the Pirates in terms of in-region recruiting.

I agree ECU laid an egg. No energy. Got out Coached.. Their defense knew everything we were doing.. we looked bad.. I will say the main reason UTSA is undefeated at home is because the Tex's UTSA refs "cheat their asses off" ( against Tulane also) .. In their first 2 possessions they were holding and mugging our guys and the refs didn't call it... Then on our 2nd or 3rd possession, they knocked our tightend on the ground , pass interference 101.. they also called targeting on our guy when we stopped them on 3rd down , which was not targeting, watch SEC football. The SEC refs had calls just the opposite on the same day .. Was not targeting. With that said , we "did not " deserve to win . But I hope the coaches and the American conference, do something about the refs blatant cheating at UTSA in the future.. Go damn pirates ! ‍☠️ Wes

ECU was far less prepared and hungry than their opponent. The coup de grâce of the night was when Blake Harrell morphed into Mike Houston and mailed in the game with under a minute left in the 1st half on a 4th and 2 in the red zone, down by 4 scores, and pathetically took the field goal. Karma came seconds later, when ECU gave the 3 points right back after getting burned on a fake knee by UTSA, leading to a UTSA fg. The entire program, especially the coaching the staff, should be forced to watch an ESPN+ replay of this game, and be forced especially to listen to the repeated commentary of how the UTSA coach had his team dialed in not just to beat ECU, but to take ECU to the woodshed after their loss in Greenville last year; in essence, they said he’d told them he wanted to embarrass ECU. Mission accomplished.

Give UTSA credit, they know how to protect their house. This was a total beat down. ECU played without energy or urgency. The Pirates were totally undisciplined, having penalty after penalty. There isn’t a single item that you could point out which would have changed this game. The Pirates would be smart to burn every copy of the UTSA game, and move on to FAU. 8-4 will get the Pirates a decent bowl game. That’s plenty to play for.

Pirates getting ROUTED by UTSA! So much for conf championship! This is embarrassing!!!