The set-up: The East Carolina Pirates have opened the season 0-3 and seek the team's first win of the new year Sunday against the 1-1 UConn Huskies at Rentschler Field in Storrs, Ct. ESPNU will televise this AAC matchup of teams each coming off 3-9 seasons. Both schools were scheduled to be off this weekend but the game was moved ahead in to accommodate UConn, which had its Sep. 9 game with USF postponed due to Hurricane Irma. These schools met last season in Greenville, with the Pirates rolling to a 41-3 victory.

East Carolina: The Pirates have gone to 13 bowls since 1992 but in Scottie Montgomery's first year at the school in 2016, ECU was just 3-9. The offense has averaged just 17.0 PPG (116th) on 372.7 YPG (93), while the defense just may be the nation's worst. It ranks 129th in yards allowed (636.0 per / also 129th in passing yards at 308.3 YPG) plus only one school allows more points than the 51.3 PPG given up by the Pirates. OK, West Va (56 points) and Va. Tech (64 points) are "out of ECU's league" but even James Madison (FCS team) gained 614 yards against the Pirates' D (no excuse for that!).

UConn: The Huskies' offense is slightly better than ECU's, averaging 436.0 YPG (54th) but it is scoring only 22.5 PPG (105th), which is to say it' has underachieved. On the defensive side of the ball, UConn has allowed 536.5 YPG (125th) but a more modest 29.0 PPG (85th). QB Bryant Shirreffs is now a senior and is completing 69.2 percent of his passes but for only 351 yards (in two games) with three TDs and one interception. The UConn Huskies ground game is not all bad, averaging 183.5 yards YPG (54th).

The pick: OK, the Pirates haven't won a road game since 2015 (0-7 SU & ATS) and the team enters this rare Sunday game on a 1-12 ATS run but UConn comes in on an 0-12 ATS run as a home favorite, last covering in that role in the team's 2012 season-opener over UMass. Make East Carolina an 8*