Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia odds: 2022 college football picks, Backyard Brawl predictions by proven model
Thu, Sep 1, 2022
NCAAF News (AP)
The 105th Backyard Brawl will be held Thursday when the West Virginia Mountaineers battle the 17th-ranked Pittsburgh Panthers. It will be the first meeting between the schools in 11 years. The Mountaineers are coming off a 4-5 record and fifth-place finish in the Big 12 Conference as well as a 6-7 overall mark. The Panthers went 7-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference Coastal Division, good for first place, while finishing 11-3 overall.
The game from Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh will kick off at 7 p.m. ET. West Virginia allowed just 24.3 points per game, tied for 47th nationally in 2021, while Pittsburgh allowed 23.1, 43rd-best in the country. The Panthers are favored by 7.5 points in the latest West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 52. Before making any Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia picks or Week 1 college football predictions, you need to see what SportsLine's advanced computer model has to say.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past six-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It enters Week 1 of the 2022 college football season on a 45-32 run on all top-rated college football spread and money-line picks that dates back to 2021. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Pitt vs. WVU and locked in its picks and CFB predictions for the Backyard Brawl 2022. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several college football odds and betting lines for WVU vs. Pitt:
- West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh spread: Pitt -7.5
- West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh over/under: 51.5 points
- West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh money line: WVU +235, Pitt -292
- WVU: The Mountaineers are 10-3 against the spread in their last 13 September games
- PITT: The Panthers are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 non-conference games
- West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why Pittsburgh can cover
The Panthers had one of the most prolific offenses in the country, averaging 41.4 points per game a year ago. One of those players who made significant impact on the offense is sophomore running back Rodney Hammond Jr. He appeared in 12 games, rushing for 504 yards and five touchdowns on 102 carries (4.9 average), and caught eight passes for 57 yards (7.1 average) and two TDs. In the Panthers' 27-17 victory over Clemson on Oct. 23, Hammond came off the bench in the fourth quarter and carried 11 times for 66 yards. His effort allowed the Panthers to possess the ball for well over 13 minutes in the period.
The Panthers also have a solid receiving corps, including senior wide receiver Jared Wayne. In 29 career games with 11 starts, Wayne has 86 receptions for 1,245 yards (14.5 average) and eight touchdowns. In 2011, Wayne was the team's second-leading receiver with 47 catches for 658 yards and six touchdowns. He has two career 100-yard receiving games.
Why West Virginia can cover
Despite that, the Panthers are not a lock to cover the West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh spread. That's because the Mountaineers know how to win and enter the season as the 15th winningest program in college football. West Virginia is 91-34-4 all-time in season openers, including a 17-5 mark since 2000. The Mountaineers are 64-59-2 in road openers, including 19-14-1 in season openers on the road.
Junior JT Daniels, a transfer from Georgia, will make the start at quarterback for WVU. Daniels registered a 7-0 record as the starting quarterback for the Bulldogs. He was Georgia's second-leading passer last season, completing 68 of 94 attempts for 722 yards and seven touchdowns. Daniels completed 22 of 30 passes for 135 yards in the season-opening win over No. 3 Clemson, but missed time due to injury and ultimately lost his starting job.
How to make West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the point total, projecting the teams to combine for 49 points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins WVU vs. Pitt? And which side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to find out which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the model that has crushed its college football picks.
