College Football Week 3 Look-Ahead Lines: West Virginia At Pitt; The Backyard Brawl
Week 3 of the college football season is packed to the brim with rivalries. The headlining game is the West Virginia Mountaineers at Pitt Panthers, famously known as The Backyard Brawl. With such a high-profile game on tap, oddsmakers laid opening odds for WVU at Pitt down early. At open, WVU was lined as a -4.5 road favorite. With a full weekend of action left ahead, those odds can – and likely will – move. WVU at Pitt kicks off Saturday, Sept. 14, at 3:30 p.m. ET. Watch the Backyard Brawl on ESPN or ESPN2 (to be determined which).
WVU at Pitt Opening Odds: Backyard Brawl
Odds below are the best current price across college football betting sites. Find opening odds below.
West Virginia travels to Pitt for the 107th edition of the Backyard Brawl. Last time the teams played at Acrisure Stadium was 2022, where Pitt (-7.5) took back an interception for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter to seal a 38-31 victory. Last year in Morgantown, WVU (-2.5) shut Pitt’s offense down in a 17-9 win. Pitt holds the all-time series lead, 62-41-3. The Backyard Brawl played almost every year between 1900-2011 before the Big East disbanded and effectively paused the rivalry.
The Panthers will be without 2023 leading rusher Rodney Hammond. The senior was declared ineligible for the season just ahead of Week 1. Two rotational backs, junior Derrick Davis and freshman Juelz Goff appear on the injury report for Week 2. Starting running back Jaheim White left WVU’s Week 1 loss to Penn State with an injury and is questionable for Week 2, as well.
WVU’s offensive line showed little push against Penn State. Notably, the unit lost All-America center Zach Frazier to the NFL and that absence was extremely evident in Week 1. The Mountaineers managed just 2.3 yards per rush (85 yards total). Pitt’s defensive front isn’t a world-beating unit, but it is the strength of the defense. Week 2’s matchup at Cincinnati should reveal plenty about its ability.
Pitt (+2.5) is a road underdog this weekend against Cincinnati. West Virginia hosts FCS Albany and should be a multi-touchdown favorite.
What do WVU at Pitt Opening Odds mean?
At -4.5, West Virginia has a 63.2% implied win rate. Sportsbooks line Pitt with a 36.8% implied probability to win the game.
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WVU At Pitt Week 3 Opening Odds
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Barring a surprise upset or struggle in Morgantown this weekend, Pitt’s result against Cincinnati bears the most weight on these teams’ power ratings. Should WVU have looked a bit more competitive against Penn State, this line likely favors the Mountaineers by more. Those looking to buy the loss bump for WVU’s number would be wise to bet the lookahead line (-4.5) rather than risk a rebound should Pitt lose Saturday.
The home team took each of the previous two matchups. Those teams were also favored and featured different quarterbacks and, in general, different rosters.
Pitt debuted its new tempo offense against Kent State last week under OC Walt Bell. The Panthers ran 84 offensive plays, tied for the second-most in the country (last year: 60.1 plays/game, 131st in the country). Look for Pitt to push the tempo again in Week 2 and in this game. While banged up, Cincinnati’s defense features a much stiffer test than Kent State’s and gives us a much clearer picture of how effective Pitt’s offense is.
The opening line of -4.5 won’t instill much action, given it sits at a dead number. Should the number adjust this weekend nearer to -3 or -6.5 in favor of WVU, expect more action and trading going on.
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