The Pittsburgh Panthers look to build off the momentum they gathered in their season-opening thrashing of FCS Austin Peay when they host the Syracuse Orange. And hopefully Pitt betting backers can benefit this time around.
The Panthers roared to a 42-0 lead at halftime over the Governors, and as a result, the teams agreed to play 10 minute quarters in the second half, not allowing the game to reach 55 minutes and voiding most bets.
We break down the NCAA football odds with our best college football picks and predictions for Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh on Saturday, September 19 with kickoff set for 12:00 p.m. ET.
Syracuse Orange vs Pittsburgh Panthers betting preview
Weather
It should be a beautiful afternoon for football at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. The forecast is calling for clear skies and temperatures in the mid-60s around kickoff. There will also be an eight mph wind gusting towards the southern end zone. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions with our NCAA football weather info.
Injuries
Syracuse: Dakota Davis OL (Out).
Pittsburgh: Rashad Weaver DL (Questionable), Lucas Krull TE (Questionable), Taysir Mack WR (Questionable).
Find our latest NCAA football injury reports.
Betting trend to know
Pitt has had Cuse’s number lately, going 7-2-2 ATS in the last 11 meetings, including winning last year’s matchup 27-20 as 3.5-point road favorites. Find more NCAA football betting trends for Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
Pitt is a team that I have enjoyed fading over the past few seasons, but this year could be different. The Panthers are returning a ton of veterans on both sides of the ball, including senior quarterback Kenny Pickett and a defensive line that could be one of the most disruptive in the country in 2020.
Pickett threw for 3,098 yards last season, but had just 13 touchdowns against nine interceptions. He gets the benefit of playing behind a terrific offensive line, and had an efficient start to the year, going 14-for-20 for 277 yards and a TD against the Governors.
Meanwhile, Syracuse QB Tommy DeVito got sacked 35 times last season and it looked like more of the same in Week 1 against UNC as the Tar Heels recorded seven sacks. And that could be a problem against the Pitt defensive front.
While losing Jaylen Twyman to NFL draft prep hurts the Panthers, Rashad Weaver returns after missing 2019 with an injury and Patrick Jones and Deslin Alexandre are still holding down the ends. Don’t be shocked if this unit leads the country in sacks again.
That just spells trouble for the Orange, even with a spread this large. The Panthers have all the tools to make this one a blowout.
PREDICTION: Pittsburgh -21 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
Syracuse managed to put up only six points on North Carolina last week and you can make the argument that Pitt has the better defense of the two. While DeVito has a talented arm, he just doesn’t have enough help around him and it showed last week, when he completed 13-of-21 passes for just 112 yards.
Not only does DeVito’s line leak like a sieve, but he's also working without his top three pass catchers from last season and a running game that averaged just 3.7 yards per carry in ACC play last year.
And Devito doesn’t only have to deal with the Panthers’ defensive front, but they also have a veteran secondary that's led by a pair of awesome safeties in Paris Ford and Damar Hamlin, who are always hungry to clean up the defensive line’s leftovers.
Pitt’s offense should be fine against a defense that just allowed UNC to go for 460 yards, but it’s just hard to envision Syracuse doing its part in this matchup to send this one Over the number.
PREDICTION: Under 51.5 (-110)
First Half Over/Under Pick
Despite the 31-6 loss for the Orange, the defense actually kept them in last week’s game for more than three quarters, trailing just 10-6 heading into the fourth. Then, of course, the wheels fell off.
And while Pitt went off for 55 points against Austin Peay, it was against, well, Austin Peay. Syracuse should provide Kenny Pickett and the Panthers offense with a bit more of a challenge. This one should stay Under the first-half total.
PREDICTION: First half Under 26.5 (-106)
Syracuse vs Pittsburgh betting card
- Pittsburgh -21 (-110)
- Under 51.5 (-110)
- First half Under 26.5 (-106)
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