Virginia vs Pittsburgh 8/31/19 NCAAF Betting Odds and Preview

The Virginia Cavaliers open their 2019 season with a tough Atlantic Coast Conference showdown against the Pittsburgh Panthers on 8/31/19 at Heinz Field.

The Virginia Cavaliers have improved their record in every season in every season that Bronco Mendenhall has coached. From 2-10 in 2017, 6-7 in 2018 to 8-5 last season, the team has shown noticeable progress under Mendenhall. The Cavaliers will return senior quarterback Bryce Perkins plus seven starters on defense, including Bryce Hall who is, without doubt, one of the top defensive men in the nation.

Virginia is the football betting favorite to win the Coastal this season thanks mainly to Perkins who set a single-season school record with 3,603 yards of total offense. His talented wide receiving corps will have Hasise Dubois and Joe Reec back along with true freshman Dorien Goddard.

The Pittsburgh Panthers has earned a reputation of sending some of the best running backs to the NFL. LeSean McCoy and James Connor are just two of them. This summer, they lost Qadree Ollison and Darrin Hall to the NFL but coach Pat Narduzzi is committed to the run and will use his blue-collar approach to produce the next crop of elite running backs.

With a week to go before the season, Pittsburgh added former Penn State safety John Petrishen who still has two years of collegiate eligibility left. He is expected to suit up right away for the Panthers as a graduate transfer. The addition of a top-flight defender like Petrishen is a breath of fresh air to the Pittsburgh defense.

Who Wins?

Pittsburgh is 6-3 SU in their last nine meetings against Virginia and the Cavaliers have won just once in their last six meetings against the Panthers. Pittsburgh is also 5-0 SU in their last five-week 1 games played.

Stopping the run is imperative for the Cavaliers here because Darrin Hall torched them for 229 yards during 2018’s loss to Pittsburgh. But not only is Hall gone but Virginia looks in better shape to claim revenge this time around. Virginia has the better defense and they have the much more talented quarterback playing behind center. I’m picking Virginia to beat Pittsburgh here. Prediction: Virginia.

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Other Bets To Make

Virginia is 9-4 ATS in their last 13 games played. The Cavaliers are 4-2 ATS in their last six games against the ACC and 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games played on a Saturday. Pittsburgh is 7-2 ATS in their last nine games played. The Panthers are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games played at home and 5-2 ATS in their last seven Saturday games. Head to head, the Pittsburgh is 6-3 ATS in their last nine meetings.

I don’t expect this to be a blowout but I think Virginia’s defense is good enough to help the offense win by at least a field goal. I’d like to take the underdog here but the plus points aren’t enough against the Cavaliers. Prediction: Virginia -2.5

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The total has gone over in four out of the last six games played by Virginia. The under is 4-1 in Virginia’s last five games played in August and under in five out of their last six week 1 games. The total has gone under in five out of the last six games played by Pittsburgh and under in four out of their last five games against an opponent from the ACC. Head to head, the under is 4-2 in their last six meetings.

These teams have combined to score an average of more than 45 points per game in their last 10 meetings including more than 50 points per game in their last three head to head meetings. Sure, some players are no longer here but I think both teams have enough offense to score over 45.5 points. Prediction: Over 45.5

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