Cincinnati vs Pittsburgh Prediction - College Football Picks 9/9/23

Pittsburgh Panthers (1-0) vs Cincinnati Bearcats (1-0)

Game Info: Saturday, September 9, 2023 at 6:30 pm (Acrisure Stadium)

Betting Odds: Pittsburgh Panthers -7.5 -- Over/Under: 45.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds

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The Cincinnati Bearcats and Pitt Panthers face off on Saturday in a Week 2 college football showdown at Acrisure Stadium. 

Is Phil Jurkovec Right for the Panthers?

In the first game of the season Pitt faced off against the Wofford Terriers and they were able to secure the 45-7 victory. Phil Jurkovec was inconsistent at Boston College, and the hope is he can be better here. In the first game of the season he completed 17 of his 23 passes for 214 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions. Running back Daniel Carter finished with 11 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown. Jurkovec also rushed seven times for 41 yards and a touchdown. 

Pitt Betting Trends

  • Pittsburgh has won each of its last six games.
  • Pittsburgh has failed to cover the spread in each of its last four games against non-conference opponents at Acrisure Stadium.
  • Pittsburgh has won the first quarter in seven of its last eight games against non-conference opponents at Acrisure Stadium.
  • Each of Pittsburgh's last eight September games against non-AP-ranked teams have gone OVER the total points line.

Is Xzavier Henderson Going to Be a Star?

In the first game of the season, Cincinnati faced off against Eastern Kentucky, and they were able to secure the 66-13 victory. At the end of the first quarter, Cincinnati was up 21-0 and they never looked back on the way to the easy victory. Under Center is Emory Jones and he completed 19 of his 23 passes for 345 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Xzavier Henderson was the top receiver finishing with seven carries for 149 yards and a touchdown. Running back Corey Kiner finished with 13 carries for 105 yards. The defense was also strong, and they are going to need the defense to step up here. 

Cincinnati Betting Trends

  • Cincinnati has won 42 of its last 44 games against non-AP-ranked teams.
  • The favorite has covered the spread in each of Cincinnati's last four games.
  • Seven of Cincinnati's last eight games as an underdog against non-AP-ranked teams have gone UNDER the total points line.

Pitt vs Cincinnati Facts

  • Pittsburgh ranked T16th among FBS teams for H1 win percentage last season (.692).
  • Pittsburgh ranked 18th among FBS teams for Q1 points allowed per game last season (3.8).
  • Cincinnati ranked 21st among FBS teams for Q2 points per game last season (11.0).
  • Cincinnati ranked T21st among FBS teams for Q2 win percentage last season (.615).

Shane’s Free Pick

This Pitt defense is good, but I was super impressed with Jones in his first game, and I think he’s going to have a big game here. Henderson also looks like he’s going to be a huge star and he’s going to really step up in this game. This could end up being a higher scoring game, but Cincinnati is going to run up the score, and they are going to keep this game close. Back Cincinnati to cover the spread here. 

Shane’s Pick Cincinnati +7.5

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The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.

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