West Virginia vs Pittsburgh NCAAF Week 1 Preview and Prediction September 1, 2022
Posted 2 years ago | Betting Previews and Predictions, NCAAF | 0 comments
West Virginia vs Pittsburgh September 1, 2022 @ Pittsburgh, PA
Opening Betting Odds
Spread: West Virginia +6.5, Pittsburgh -6.5
Moneyline: West Virginia +205, Pittsburgh -205
Total: 55.5
Preview
The Backyard Brawl between West Virginia and Pittsburgh is one of the oldest rivalries in college football. This year’s contest will be the 105th meeting between the two schools, and Pittsburgh leads the all time series 61–40–3.
Originally this game was scheduled to be played at Heinz Field on September 17th, but has now been rescheduled for Week 1 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh.
The Panthers are not used to being challenged in their season opener, traditionally scheduling inferior opposition for their first game of the season. Recent Week 1 opponents include: Youngstown State, Villanova and Delaware.
West Virginia won the last meeting on November 25, 2011 by a score of 21-20.
West Virginia
- 6-7 overall in 2021
- 4-5 in the BIG12 in 2021
- 6-7 against the spread in 2021
This will the be the Mountaineers 4th season under head coach Neal Brown, and with three full recruiting classes this is truly his team. Brown will need somebody to step up at quarterback after Jarret Doege transferred to Western Kentucky.
J.T. Daniels is in the mix, but he will face a challenge from true freshman Nicco Marchiol, Will “Goose” Crowder and sophomore Garrett Greene. Whoever wins the starting job will have a talented receiving corps to work with. Bryce Ford-Wheaton and Sam James are two of the better wideouts in the BIG12.
The offensive line is expected to be a strength with all five starters returning. Sophomore Tony Mathis Jr. comes in expected to carry the workload at running back, and he showed promise at the end of last season running for 118 yards on 22 carries in the season finale at Kansas.
While there is a ton of experience on the defense, the secondary is still a major question mark heading into 2022.
Pittsburgh
- 11-3 overall in 2021
- 7-1 in the ACC in 2021
- 10-4 against the spread in 2021
It’s going to be hard for the Panthers to replicate what they did in 2021 without Kenny Pickett and Jordan Addison. Pickett was a Heisman finalist and Addison won the Biletnikoff Award.
Former PAC12 Freshman of the Year Kedon Slovis steps in at quarterback, and while he isn’t likely to win a Heisman he does come with plenty of experience. In three seasons at USC he threw for 7,576 yards and 58 TDs on 68 percent passing.
The Panthers bring back three running backs and an offensive line that has five returning starters. The defense is in even better shape, bringing back six starters that were All Conference last year. Pittsburgh ranked second in the nation with 3.86 sacks per game in 2021.
Relevant Trends
- The Mountaineers are 10-3 ATS in their last 13 games in September.
- The Panthers are 11-4 ATS in their last 15 games overall.
- The underdog is 4-1 ATS in their last five meetings.
- Panthers are 9-4 ATS in their last 13 non-conference games.
- The over is 8-2 in the Panthers last 10 home games.
Prediction: Pittsburgh 31 – West Virginia 24
The Mountaineers have the talent in place to compete in the BIG12 if this go their way this season, but expecting it to all come together in Week 1 with so many new faces might be asking too much. We expect the Panthers passing game to have success against this inexperienced secondary.
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