BC vs Pitt: Preview and Prediction

The Road to 7-6 goes through Pittsburgh. One more win to get bowl eligibility, and there are a lot of guys who aren’t ready to call it just yet. There’s a lot of buzz going around about you-know-what, but putting all that aside, this could very much be the last time we see AJ Dillon in the maroon and gold, so let’s hope he can end on a good note at least.

The old Big East rivals meet again tomorrow at 3:30 for the first time since 2014. The Panthers lead the all time series 17-13, and have won the past four contests. In that 2014 Eagles home opener, running back James Conner torched us for 214 yards on the ground.

Pitt is currently 7-4 overall and 4-3 in the conference good for third in the Coastal. They have no shot at the championship game because Virginia and Virginia Tech play each other and are both ahead. They are coming off an embarrassing shutout at the hands of Virginia Tech 28-0 and needed overtime to beat UNC at home. They’ve had some good wins and tightly contested games all along, beating the champs, UCF, and taking Penn State to the brink, but extremely close wins against the likes of Duke and Syracuse definitely make this game winnable.

The defensive line for the Panthers has been stellar, having limited opponents to 92.6 rushing yards per game, good for sixth lowest in the country. This will definitely pose a huge challenge for BC, as these good rushing defenses have done a much better job at bottling up AJ Dillon, even though he is the third leading rusher in the country. The Eagle offensive line is coming off one of it’s worst performances of the year, and the Pitt front is no slack. They’ve produced 48 sacks and 91 tackles for loss.

The Panther secondary is ranked 34th, but will be without starting safety Paris Ford for the first half after a targeting penalty last week. Meanwhile BC’s passing offense ain’t so hot. Dennis Grosel and co. will need to step up to make it marginally easier for the rushing attack in an already difficult match-up.

The Pitt offense has not been able to run the ball effectively at all, averaging less than 3.6 yards per carry, but that’s not our concern. Their passing offense, though not spectacular, has had some great stretches of play led by quarterback Kenny Pickett. The Eagle defense showed flashes of life and has been okay at stopping the run, but still has massive issues allowing explosive plays. The Panthers have had major issues with drops all year, so the secondary could be bailed out on a few occasions at least, but it will take a village to hold up.

The Oddsmakers:

Spread: Pitt -8.5

Money Line: BC +265/Pitt -330

Over/Under: 51.5

Is it over?: Yes-450/No+350

Final Predictions:

Niraj: BC 27 - Pitt 24

This is destiny and I believe change will be coming regardless of the result tomorrow.

Let’s. Go. Eagles.