Pittsburgh Panthers Spread vs. West Virginia (September 1), Tennessee (September 10), Western Michigan (September 17)

The Pittsburgh Panthers vs. West Virginia Mountaineers spread was coming in at Pittsburgh -7.  Early spreads vs. Tennessee, Gambling911.com had a number of PK'EM and Panthers -6 at Western Michigan on September 17.

Pittsburgh Panthers 2022 Schedule

Schedule

Sept 1 West Virginia

Sept 10 Tennessee

Sept 17 at Western Michigan

Sept 24 Rhode Island

Oct 1 Georgia Tech

Oct 8 Virginia Tech

Oct 15 OPEN DATE

Oct 22 at Louisville

Oct 29 at North Carolina

Nov 5 Syracuse

Nov 12 at Virginia

Nov 19 Duke

Nov 26 at Miami

Pittsburgh Panthers vs. West Virginia Mountaineers (September 1)

Pittsburgh (34) comes into this Backyard Brawl game with a 77.33 rating, West Virginia (46) 75.25.  We have Pittsburgh with a line of -4, so a three-point overlay is being detected.  Heavy action at around 81% early was detected on the Panthers cash and 65% on tickets. The line was mostly stead on the -7 but had come up from -6.

Fresh off their ACC Championship, Pitt must now find a way to sustain the success.

The final week of August, Pittsburgh named USC transfer Kedon Slovis their starting quarterback and is expected to be a good enough replacement for Kenny Pickett.

While the Mountaineers offensive line might be improved this season, last year's running game was not up to par and the team was the worst in the Big 12 in sacks and tackles for loss allowed.

This is a Mountaineers team that has gone 17-18 overall and 11-15 in the Big 12 in the last three seasons. 

As an away dog, West Virginia is just 3-11 Straight Up since 2017.  Consider Pittsburgh on the moneyline here as the price shouldn't be much over -200.  Pittsbugh is 16-6 Straight Up as a home favorite over this time (72.7%).

Series history: Pitt leads 61-40-3 since 1895.

Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Tennessee Vols (September 10)

This game might be a bigger test than the Week 1 Backyard Brawl versus West Virginia.  Fortunately for Pittsburgh, both games take place at home.

Tennessee (29) 79.63 we have rated slightly better than the Panthers, but the home field brings this one to a PICK'EM.

Star players quarteback Hendon Hooker and wide receiver Cedric Tillman return for Tennessee.

The defense improved in 2021 but the three players most responsible are gone now.

As an away underdog, the Vols are 6-14 Straight Up since 2017.  As an away favorite, they are 23-9.

If Tennessee comes into this one as the dog, might want to pull the trigger on Pitt.

Pittsburgh Panthers @ Western Michigan Broncos (September 17)

With an 8-5 record last season, including a win against Pitt, some have Western Michigan improving in 2022.  The oddsmakers seem to believe otherwise as the Western Michigan UNDER 6.5 regular season wins is favored.

Western Michigan (73) had a power rating of 69.27 entering 2022.

They are expected to have a solid running game and decent enough defense.

The defense should be among the best in the nation at getting into the backfield.

The 12th-ranked offense in the country last season gets most of its playmakers back.

- Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com