Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh college football odds, picks: Predictions, betting preview, start time for Week 3 — SkimNews
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- Pittsburgh hosts Syracuse at Acrisure Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET Thursday, listed as 10.5-point home favorites by DraftKings with the Over/Under at 51.5.
- Pitt (2-0) is coming off a 12-7 win over UCF, while Syracuse (1-1) lost 21-18 to Cal last week, turning the ball over three times and missing a potential tying field goal in the final two minutes.
- Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel has completed 70% of his passes for 665 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions this season after throwing for 140 yards and a pick in last year's meeting as a freshman.
- Syracuse quarterback Steve Angeli, back from a torn Achilles, has 570 passing yards and four touchdowns but threw three interceptions against Cal.
- Pitt leads the all-time series 45-33-3, has won 20 of the past 24 meetings and seven of the last eight, and carries an 11-game home win streak in the series per CBS Sports framing.
- The SportsLine Projection Model projects Pitt wins 30-19, with Pitt winning 73% of its 10,000 simulations, and leans Under 51.5 (hits 54.8% of sims).
- Syracuse has been flagged for 26 penalties in two games, including 15 for 132 yards against Cal — a discipline problem overlooked in the broader 'Pitt rolls' framing.
Why it matters: Pitt is a double-digit favorite against a Syracuse team that has committed 26 penalties in two games and just turned it over three times in a one-score loss, and the SportsLine model projects the Panthers winning by 11 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Bettors backing the Under 51.5 are betting that Pitt's defense plus Syracuse's self-inflicted mistakes will keep scoring down despite both teams averaging 35+ points per game.
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