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NCAA Football

Panthers vs. Huskies Preview/Pick

The Pittsburgh Panthers will lace ’em up with the Connecticut Huskies on Saturday. Two Big East teams still looking for the best bowl game they can get to. WE preview and pick this week 15 matchup…

NCAA Football Betting – Pittsburgh Panthers at Connecticut Huskies

The Pittsburgh Panthers (8-3 SU, 5-6 ATS) coming off another nice upset of West Virginia last week, will lace ’em up with the Connecticut Huskies (7-4 SU, 5-5 ATS) in NCAA college football sports betting action between two Big East teams still looking for the best bowl game they can get to. Kickoff is set for Noon ET at Rentschler Field in Hartford, CT.

BetUS NCAAF Betting Odds: CONNECTICUT -2.5, Total 47.5

Here are some of the NCAA college football betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* PITT has covered five of its last seven games
* PITT has won eight of its last ten games SU
* PITT has played four of its last six games OVER the total
* PITT has covered six of its last eight road games
* PITT has won five of its last six road games SU
* PITT has played four of its last five road games OVER the total
* CONN has won 16 of its last 24 games SU
* CONN has lost four of its last six games SU
* CONN has played four of its last six games OVER the total
* CONN has won 11 of its last 12 home games SU

This is a great matchup of two of the best running backs in the country. Donald Brown of U-Conn leads the nation with 148.5 yards a game, and has 1633 yards overall to rank second behind Shonn Greene of Iowa. LeSean McCoy of Pitt overcame a slow start to rush for 1308 yards, and his 118.9 yards a game rank him eighth in Division I. he was brilliant against West Virginia last week as the Panthers pulled the 19-15 upset, running for 183 yards and two TDs.

It may come down to who passes the ball more efficiently. Tyler Lorenzen has been back for two games since returning after a broken foot, and he’s not been dominant in the last, completing just 17 of 39 passes for 189 yards. Lorenzen has thrown only two touchdown passes in the seven games he’s played. Along those lines, the edge probably goes to Bill Stull of the Panthers, who has seven TD passes and 2163 yards. But that isn’t what we would call a substantial advantage for Pitt.

Dave Wannstedt’s team certainly has a revenge angle. Connecticut came to Heinz Field last year and dealt out a 34-14 beating, jumping out to a 27-7 halftime lead and never looking back. Of course, it did not help the Pitt cause that it turned the ball over seven times. In that game, Brown ran for just 54 yards, and McCoy just 70. They promise to be bigger factors this time around.

The Huskies have won 11 of their last 12 home games, and covered 16 of the last 22. They are also generally pretty stingy, allowing just 18.5 points per contest (good for 20th in the country). Both clubs do a decent job at defending the run, but U-Conn’s secondary has performed better (rated 7th in pass efficiency defense).

Pittsburgh has gone on the road to defeat South Florida, Navy and Notre Dame. U-Conn has a resounding win over Cincinnati, which is going to the BCS as the Big East champion. And the Huskies have had extra time to prepare, while there is danger of a letdown on the Pitt side, a week after winning the highly-charged “Backyard Brawl” again. Let’s move with U-Conn, a team that performs well at home, and the 2.5-point favorite in the BetUS Sportsbook NCAAF sports betting odds.

Our PLAY: CONNECTICUT -2.5 **

By Cappers Picks

Articles on CappersPicks.com are written by Q (the Head Honcho) at Cappers Picks or by our resident "in house" handicapper Razor Ray Monohan! Enjoy the free picks folks! "Pad that bankroll one day at a time!"