NCAAF Betting: Pitt Panthers at Utah Utes
Week 1 of the 2010 college football betting season is loaded with games that should prove one-sided. This isn't one of them as the Pitt Panthers travel to Salt Lake City to battle the Utah Utes in a matchup of ranked schools. Dave Wannstedt and the Panthers are among a logjam of favorites in the Big East and have Heisman candidate Dion Lewis at their disposal in this 8:30 p.m. kickoff on Versus.
The 2010 college football season opens on Thursday night with an 18-game schedule headlined by an out-of-conference matchup between No. 15 Pittsburgh and Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City (8:30 p.m. ET, Versus).
Three other schools ranked in the top 25 in the AP poll (No. 2 Ohio State, No. 13 Miami and No. 14 USC) also kick off their season Thursday, but all eyes are on the Panthers and Utes.
The Buckeyes, Hurricanes and Trojans figure to be easy winners in Week 1. Pitt, on the other hand, has its work cut out for it against Utah in front of what surely will be a raucous crowd at Rice-Eccles.
The Utes finished just out of the top 25 in the first edition of the AP poll, but slipped in as No. 24 in the USA Today poll, making this a marquee matchup of sorts.
The Panthers are favored to win their first Big East title since 2004, when they went on to get waxed by Urban Meyer’s Utes in the Fiesta Bowl, but they’re dogged for Thursday night’s affair.
Oddsmakers opened Pitt as 1-point underdogs on the college football betting odds board for the matchup, but it was getting up to a field goal from Utah as of press time. The total was available between 48½ and 50 depending on the outlet.
I wouldn’t expect much line movement before kickoff. There’s equal action on both teams according to consensus data; sportsbooks are likely to stand pat at Utah -2½ or -3.
This is a huge game for Dave Wannstedt and the Panthers, who came tantalizingly close to a perfect season last year. Pitt finished 10-3 SU and 8-4 ATS to come in second behind Cincinnati in the Big East, but all three losses came down to the wire. The Panthers dropped three games by a combined 11 points.
Pitt has a tough schedule this season, and it needs to get off on the right foot. Expect the Panthers to lean on tailback Dion Lewis, who ranked third nationally with 1,799 yards rushing last season. Lewis is a Heisman Trophy candidate, and he’ll need to carry the load in the early going with sophomore Tino Sunseri taking over from Bill Stull under center.
Wannstedt and offensive coordinator Phil Cignetti don’t want to get into a shootout with the Utes in the first game of the season. Sunseri needs time to adjust as the starting quarterback, even if he has standout wide receiver Jon Baldwin at his disposal.
Expect Pitt to be ready for Utah’s spread offense. The Panthers were completely railroaded by the offensive scheme six years ago, but the spread is much more commonplace in today’s game. Pitt faces the spread every year when it matches up with Cincinnati and West Virginia.
That said, you have to like where the Utes stand coming into the opener. Head coach Kyle Whittingham was rebuilding last season, but Utah still went 10-3 SU (6-7 ATS), including a 37-27 win over California in the Poinsettia Bowl.
Despite key losses in the secondary and at linebacker, Utah has a top 20 defense that’ll go up against a Pitt offensive line that has question marks. Quarterback Jordan Wynn proved himself after taking over midway through last season, and the Utes are loaded in the backfield with Eddie Wide and Matt Asiata.
If there’s a smart play on Thursday night, it’s the ‘under.’ Both schools will look to establish the run early, making it tough to get over a total pushing 50 points. The Utes also ended the 2009 season on a 3-7 O/U run.
Against the spread, it’s easy to like Utah on its home field in the first game of the season. Yes, the No. 15 Panthers are the highest-ranked school the Utes have ever faced in an opening game, but the teams are evenly matched on paper.
On top of that, keep in mind this is Sunseri’s first career start, in front of a revamped offensive line. Handicap Utah to handle Pitt by at least a field goal.
Week 1 of the 2010 college football betting season is loaded with games that should prove one-sided. This isn't one of them as the Pitt Panthers travel to Salt Lake City to battle the Utah Utes in a matchup of ranked schools. Dave Wannstedt and the Panthers are among a logjam of favorites in the Big East and have Heisman candidate Dion Lewis at their disposal in this 8:30 p.m. kickoff on Versus.
The 2010 college football season opens on Thursday night with an 18-game schedule headlined by an out-of-conference matchup between No. 15 Pittsburgh and Utah at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City (8:30 p.m. ET, Versus).
Three other schools ranked in the top 25 in the AP poll (No. 2 Ohio State, No. 13 Miami and No. 14 USC) also kick off their season Thursday, but all eyes are on the Panthers and Utes.
The Buckeyes, Hurricanes and Trojans figure to be easy winners in Week 1. Pitt, on the other hand, has its work cut out for it against Utah in front of what surely will be a raucous crowd at Rice-Eccles.
The Utes finished just out of the top 25 in the first edition of the AP poll, but slipped in as No. 24 in the USA Today poll, making this a marquee matchup of sorts.
The Panthers are favored to win their first Big East title since 2004, when they went on to get waxed by Urban Meyer’s Utes in the Fiesta Bowl, but they’re dogged for Thursday night’s affair.
Oddsmakers opened Pitt as 1-point underdogs on the college football betting odds board for the matchup, but it was getting up to a field goal from Utah as of press time. The total was available between 48½ and 50 depending on the outlet.
I wouldn’t expect much line movement before kickoff. There’s equal action on both teams according to consensus data; sportsbooks are likely to stand pat at Utah -2½ or -3.
This is a huge game for Dave Wannstedt and the Panthers, who came tantalizingly close to a perfect season last year. Pitt finished 10-3 SU and 8-4 ATS to come in second behind Cincinnati in the Big East, but all three losses came down to the wire. The Panthers dropped three games by a combined 11 points.
Pitt has a tough schedule this season, and it needs to get off on the right foot. Expect the Panthers to lean on tailback Dion Lewis, who ranked third nationally with 1,799 yards rushing last season. Lewis is a Heisman Trophy candidate, and he’ll need to carry the load in the early going with sophomore Tino Sunseri taking over from Bill Stull under center.
Wannstedt and offensive coordinator Phil Cignetti don’t want to get into a shootout with the Utes in the first game of the season. Sunseri needs time to adjust as the starting quarterback, even if he has standout wide receiver Jon Baldwin at his disposal.
Expect Pitt to be ready for Utah’s spread offense. The Panthers were completely railroaded by the offensive scheme six years ago, but the spread is much more commonplace in today’s game. Pitt faces the spread every year when it matches up with Cincinnati and West Virginia.
That said, you have to like where the Utes stand coming into the opener. Head coach Kyle Whittingham was rebuilding last season, but Utah still went 10-3 SU (6-7 ATS), including a 37-27 win over California in the Poinsettia Bowl.
Despite key losses in the secondary and at linebacker, Utah has a top 20 defense that’ll go up against a Pitt offensive line that has question marks. Quarterback Jordan Wynn proved himself after taking over midway through last season, and the Utes are loaded in the backfield with Eddie Wide and Matt Asiata.
If there’s a smart play on Thursday night, it’s the ‘under.’ Both schools will look to establish the run early, making it tough to get over a total pushing 50 points. The Utes also ended the 2009 season on a 3-7 O/U run.
Against the spread, it’s easy to like Utah on its home field in the first game of the season. Yes, the No. 15 Panthers are the highest-ranked school the Utes have ever faced in an opening game, but the teams are evenly matched on paper.
On top of that, keep in mind this is Sunseri’s first career start, in front of a revamped offensive line. Handicap Utah to handle Pitt by at least a field goal.