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Utah vs. Pittsburgh Week 7 Gambling Preview & Pick

On Saturday October 15th, 2011 its the Week 7 Utah Utes vs. Cardinals vs. Pittsburgh Panthers matchup. Odds currently have the Panthers listed as 7-point favorites…

Big East Football Previews – Utah Utes vs Pittsburgh Panthers

The PAC-12’s Utah Utes, playing out of their new conference, will be in Heinz Field this Saturday afternoon for a tilt with the Big East’s Pittsburgh Panthers in a battle of two teams desperate for a win. The game is slated to get underway at 12 p.m. and it will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.

Date/Time: Saturday, Oct. 15   12 p.m. (ET)
Venue: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA.
Broadcast: ESPNU
Utes at Panthers lines by BetOnline.com
Point spread: Panthers -7
Over/Under: 47.6

For team that was use to winning on a regular basis in the Mountain West, Utah’s transition to the PAC-12 has been anything but smooth. It is 2-3 straight-up overall (1-4 against the spread) and still searching for its first conference win after losses to UCS, Washington, and Arizona State. The total has stayed ‘under’ in three of its five games.

The Utes normally potent offense has been held in check so far with an average of just 24.6 points a game. Other than the 54 points they rolled up on BYU in Week 3, they have been held to 14 points in each of their three conference games. John Hays has been given the nod as Utah’s new starting quarterback after Jordan Wynn was lost for the season with a shoulder injury.

Pittsburgh’s hopes for a return to the top of the Big East took a huge hit in a shocking 34-10 loss to Rutgers as a 6.5-point road favorite last Saturday. The Panthers are now 3-3 SU on the year and 2-4 ATS. The total has stayed ‘under’ in two of its last three games. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

This team has also struggled to put points on the board with an average of 27.2 points a game. If they are going to have any success moving the ball against Utah, it will most likely be on the ground behind running back Ray Graham. He has rushed for 899 yards on 150 carries and is averaging six yards an attempt.

Utah is 1-6 ATS in its last seven games overall, but 3-0-1 ATS in its last four games against the Big East. The total has stayed ‘under’ in five of its last seven games on the road.

Pitt is 11-1 ATS in its last 12 games following a SU loss and 10-4 ATS in its last 14 games following an ATS loss. The total has stayed ‘under’ in four of its last five non- conference games.

The Utes came away with a 27-24 overtime victory over the Panthers last season as a three-point home favorite in a game that went ‘over’ the 47.5-point line. Look for Pitt to return the favor this season at home, but it will not be able to cover the seven points in another tight game.

The Pick: Pittsburgh 21 vs. Utah 17

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By Dave Schwab

David Schwab is a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog. While not cheering for his beloved Philadelphia Eagles David can be found working on his blog at www.eaglesinc.com. David wants to hear from you so please comment below.