Virginia vs Pittsburgh Prediction College Football Picks 11/9/24

The Virginia Cavaliers and the Pittsburgh Panthers meet Saturday in college football action from Acrisure Stadium. Here’s a Virginia vs Pittsburgh prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Virginia vs Pittsburgh pick. We will examine:

The Virginia Cavaliers’ recent form and player performance

The Pittsburgh Panthers’ recent form and player performance

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Virginia Cavaliers

Recent betting trends and streaks involving the Pittsburgh Panthers

Recent betting trends in games played between Virginia and Pittsburgh

A summary that ties it all together and produces a favorable betting outcome for the Virginia vs Pittsburgh game

Virginia Cavaliers Betting Preview

The Cavaliers’ season got off to a good start with wins over Richmond and Wake Forest, but they’d lost to Maryland in game three. Virginia rebounded with wins over Coastal Carolina and Boston College but has lost to Louisville, Clemson, and North Carolina since then.

In the UNC game on October 26, the Cavaliers came into the second half with a 24-6 deficit. Things didn’t get any better from there in an eventual blowout loss 41-14. Anthony Colandrea threw for 156 yards and two picks. JR Wilson led the receivers with his 68-yard TD catch.

Pittsburgh Panthers Betting Preview

Over on the Pittsburgh side, they had a couple of close calls in their first seven games but ultimately emerged unscathed. The Panthers beat Kent State, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Youngstown State, North Carolina, California, and Syracuse during that time.

Last weekend versus SMU, the Panthers were drilled 31-3 in the first half and limped to a loss of 48-25. Nate Yarnell managed to throw a couple of touchdowns though, hitting 99 yards on 9-of-10 passing. Kenny Johnson caught one among his eight grabs for 81 yards.

Why the Pittsburgh Panthers will win

• Virginia has lost each of its last 15 November games as a road underdog.
• Pittsburgh has won each of its last six games at Acrisure Stadium.
• Pittsburgh has covered the spread in seven of its last eight home games.
• Pittsburgh has won the first half in each of its last three games against conference opponents at Acrisure Stadium.

Why the Virginia Cavaliers will win

• The road team has covered the spread in seven of the last eight games between Virginia and Pittsburgh.

Total Points Facts

• Seven of Virginia’s last eight road games in November have gone OVER the total points line.
• Each of Pittsburgh’s last four games against conference opponents at Acrisure Stadium has gone UNDER the total points line.

Matchup/League Facts

• Pittsburgh ranks 131st among FBS teams for time of possession per game this season (25:31).
• Pittsburgh ranks 9th among FBS teams for H2 points per game this season (18.8).
• Virginia ranks 126th among FBS teams for passing yards allowed per game this season (275.1).
• Virginia ranks 124th among FBS teams for Q3 points per game this season (2.9).

Virginia vs Pittsburgh Prediction

I’m going to stay with Pittsburgh. The Panthers need to recover from a bad loss to a tough SMU team, though. Pitt posted 453 yards (350 passing) in that one but also went just 5-of-16 on third downs and had a couple of turnovers. The Panthers have been at 25 or fewer points in two of their last three games, so they’ve got to get it going early here.

As for Virginia, they’re coming off a rough loss to a middling North Carolina team but they’ve had a bit of time to make some adjustments since then. In the defeat the Cavaliers mustered just 288 total yards (281 passing) and 4.1 yards per play. It was the first time Virginia had failed to hit 20 points in a five-game stretch. It won’t be so easy to put up points against Pittsburgh, so I don’t think the Cavs will keep pace here.

Andrew Jett's Pick: Pittsburgh Panthers -7.5