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!!!

Agreed on the dogfight, UTSA always comes to play in the ‘Dome. Against Memphis, the Pirates answered every punch in the mouth with a strong counterpunch. They will need to do it again. The difference this week, I hope, is the Pirates now know they can finish a close game. I fear the continuing penalties may make a tough task too tough to accomplish. The plus side is, despite penalties, the Pirates continue building momentum. The Pirates have a Coach who can make changes ‘on the fly’, and that might make the difference.

Saturday in San Antonio stands to be dogfight featuring pitbulls. Given their lack of a bowl eligibility 6th win, plus their 24 conference games win streak at home, UTSA will NOT go quietly.

Three weeks ago tonight, UTSA brought the absolute hammer down on no. 24 Tulane in their own barn. The latter didn't exactly help themselves by committing 4 turnovers (to UTSA's 0), but the Roadrunners looked frighteningly good. McCown ended up 31 for 33, with 4 TDs; yikes! Undoubtedly, the Pirates' will need to give their full attention to UTSA on Saturday, especially given that they're still seeking bowl eligibility, not to mention the preservation of their remakablehome winning steak. This game is shaping up to be another barnburner. Go Pirates.

Maybe its just me, but in the first half I could not help but think that someone from Memphis was paying the officials to help out UM. Things got better in the second half, but I was very concerned and a little ticked off with the several questionable flags. I was sooooo very happy for our team and fans. Goooo Pirates.

I'm curious about the "weaknesses" in the teams Grok has us leapfrogging. Does its analysis account for more nuanced factors like TV market appeal, fan base travel reputation, or historical conference affiliations that often play a huge role in bowl selections?

...an instant classic, part track meet, but mostly street fight, with the Pirates able to deliver the final knockout blow. ECU showed tremedous courage in standing its ground against a very solid opponent that has occupied the Top 25 for most of the season, despite lots of setbacks and frankly questionable officiating that went against them. There were so many remarkable plays by so many Pirates, on both sides of the ball; this was truly one for the books. Next week vs. UTSA in San Antonio stands to be another barn burner, with the Roadrunners still looking for bowl eligibility and to protect its winning record at home, while the Pirates remain very much in the hunt for the conference title game; confidence should not be an issue for this business trip.

Congratulations to the Pirates for a great win over Memphis. The Pirates overcame the self-inflicted problems of penalties, and some questionable no-calls by officials to answer the bell when needed. The Pirates defense showed up big late, holding the Tigers to a field goal. The offense promptly did to Memphis what it could not do against NC State and Tulane, drive down the field and score. It’s a shame more people didn’t turn out to see a very good game. Hopefully, the Pirates will take this momentum and finish strong in SA and Boca.

Well AI is dead wrong. since Va. Tech is currently 3-6 and will be the underdog (against Fla. St., Miami and Virginia) in its last three game and will not be bowl eligible. I think Duke or Wake Forest or Old Dominion would be a likely Military Bowl opponents if we are selected.