Getty ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND – DECEMBER 28: Head coach Blake Harrell of the East Carolina Pirates is doused with miniature bowling pins after defeating the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the Go Bowling Military Bowl at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on December 28, 2024 in Annapolis, Maryland. (Photo by Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Alabama opens the 2026 season against East Carolina, and while the Crimson Tide will understandably enter the matchup as the heavy favorite, the Pirates aren’t a program Alabama can afford to overlook. East Carolina has quietly become one of the more interesting Group of Six
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