Free Week 1 NCAA Football Prediction: Minutemen Vs Panthers Odds
Looking for UMass Vs Pittsburgh free picks? Week 1 betting sees the Minutemen taking on the Panthers on Saturday at Heinz Field, in Pittsburgh, PA. Cappers Picks provides complimentary handicapping picks all NCAA football season long so stay tuned for more FREE college football predictions like this UMass Pittsburgh Week 1 free pick.
College Football Handicapping Analysis: Week 1
(0-0) UMass Minutemen vs Pittsburgh Panthers (0-0)
Date: Saturday, September 4 ,2021
Time: 4:00 pm EST
Venue: Heinz Field
NCAA Football ATS Spread Odds: UMass +38 / Pitt -38
NCAA Football Moneyline Odds: UMass +4500 / Pitt -10000
NCAA Betting Total Odds: O/U 56
The UMass Minutemen start the 2021 season on the road trying to recover from a dismal 0 – 4 record in 2020. They’ll be taking on the Pittsburgh Panthers at Heinz Field this Saturday afternoon at 4 pm EST as heavy underdogs against an ACC team that has high hopes for the 2021 campaign.
UMass Minutemen
The Minutemen enter the 2021 season hoping to find any amount of success after a poor 0 – 4 record in 2020. Obviously, only playing 4 games with so many distractions in 2020 simply did not work out well for head coach Walt Bell and his program. Make no mistake that the 1 – 11 record in 2019 means that the Minutemen has taken 1 win in the last 2 seasons overall, and you don’t need to work at NASA to know that those results… well, they bluntly stink!
Let’s be honest here because the reality is that Walt Bell has his entire coaching staff back in place for the third season and he needs to prove why his hiring was worth a damn at this point!
Just last week coach Bell made the decision to go with Colorado transfer Tyler Lytle at QB this season. Lytle has worked tirelessly with QB coach Fred Walker to be as prepared for 2021 as he can be.
Coach Bell was quoted this past week on the Berkshire Eagle saying that “He’s (Tyler) done a really nice job. He did a great job in the spring. Now he’s got his supports on offense, we feel like he’s elevated his game,” Bell said after practice Tuesday morning. “He’s tall, long, he throws the football well. He’s what we need and he’s earned his job.”
So, with a semblance of confidence in place, the team hopes to build something positive after two years of nothing positive to really speak of.
Rutgers transfer RB Kay’Ron Adams will hope to reinvent himself in Amherst. Adams and Ellis Merriweather should see the load of the carries out of the UMass backfield, and 4 of the team’s top 5 receivers return as well.
On a side note, the UMass team total this season is listed at O/U 1.5 wins, and I will tell you now that I threw in the Over on my futures card. I see two wins, at least, for this program, because UConn, Rhode Island, and Maine are all certainly winnable affairs IMO.
Pittsburgh Panthers
Head Coach Pat Narduzzi has 6 years of work under his belt in Pittsburgh and expectations are elevated a bit this season in year 7 with the program. The Panthers finished 2020 at 6 – 5 and 8 starters return on the offensive side of the ball in 2021.
Senior QB Kenny Pickett has 27 starts to his credit in 3 years and has completed 60% of his passes for over 5,500 yards over that time. Pickett threw for over 400 yards twice last season although he did miss 3 games to injury which certainly hurt because the team was 0 – 3 without him.
The running game? Oh, no problems here, thanks, as all 4 of their top running backs return and they all bring different goods to the table. Even though it took until the final game to see a 100-yard rusher last year against Georgia Tech, Vincent Davis hopes to carry that momentum over from his 247-yard day to finish the year. Israel Abinikanda will see a lot of the ball this season, as his spring ball was stellar and it has him on the ACC honors watch list. Some are calling for him to be among the conference leaders, in fact, but there is plenty of RB talent in the ACC to contend with.
The concern for this year’s team comes on the defensive side of the ball, as the front line and backfield all need to retool and rebuild. The Linebacking corps is arguably the most sound squad on the team, but there will be plenty of unknowns going into 2021. Losing Rashad Weaver and Patrick Jones upfront will hurt, as they were both All-Americans who created some havoc on the line.
The Pitt team total is listed at 7 this season at most major books, and to be honest, that looks about right to me. We could see a 7 – 5 team for sure, but 8 wins? That could be tricky with Clemson, Miami, and Notre Dame on the schedule this year. In Addition, with Boston College expected to do well and N.C State also being a concern for Pitt, 8 wins could be a tall order but time will tell.
NCAA Football Handicapping Trends
- Minutemen are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 vs. ACC.
- Over is 6-1 in Minutemen’s last 7 games in September.
- Panthers are 2-10 ATS in their last 12 games as a home favorite of 10.5 or greater.
- Panthers are 2-10 ATS in their last 12 games as a home favorite of 10.5 or greater.
- Over is 6-1 in the Panthers’ last 7 games on grass.
Free Week #1 NCAA Football Pick:
Points! Show me the points, although I hate opening weekend Overs in this case I cannot let it go. If it was some stupid number I might not touch it but 56? So we need 8 whole TDs and anything on top of it cash us out? Give me my gavel… SOLD! Over 56 it is!
4* Free NCAA Betting Pick: The line shows Pitt favored by 38 with a 56 showing on the total
Week 1 Free Score Prediction: UMass 19 – Pittsburgh 44 (Bet Now)
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