The Syracuse Orange and Pittsburgh Panthers get the college football FBS landscape all to themselves on Thursday, as the latter plays its first ACC game of the season. Pitt is a 10.5-point favorite in a game with a projected total of 51.5 points. My top two college football picks for this Thursday night tilt are a total play and a player prop wager.
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College Football Picks: Syracuse Orange vs. Pittsburgh Panthers
(Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook)
Under 51.5 Points (-115)
Pittsburgh’s offense was unstoppable in a Week 1 win over Miami (OH). In that game, the Panthers scored touchdowns on each of their first three drives (the drives went 80, 89 and 50 yards), while quarterback Mason Heintschel tied a school record with seven touchdown passes. Perhaps the most impressive part was that the touchdown passes went to seven different receivers, showcasing the Panthers’ deep and versatile attack.
Despite that success in scoring 59 points and racking up 646 total yards, I see this week’s game playing out more like Pitt’s defensive struggle against UCF last week. Heintschel was clearly affected by the wet weather; the bad news is that more rain is forecast for the afternoon and into the evening.
Due to the wet conditions, Heintschel averaged just 7.3 yards per attempt and threw zero touchdown passes. A lower ceiling on Pitt’s passing attack, the most explosive unit in this matchup, should result in a lower-scoring game.
I have no issue with taking what feels like the contrarian play, bucking the trend that the over is 12-1 in Pittsburgh’s last 13 September home games against non-ranked teams.
Umari Hatcher 70+ Receiving Yards (-118)
Backing Syracuse wide receiver Umari Hatcher to record 70+ receiving yards isn’t a hedge against the under; it’s an analysis of how I project Syracuse’s offense to attack the Panthers.
If Syracuse head coach Fran Brown thinks he is going to play a smash-mouth brand of football against Pitt, think again. The Panthers held Miami (OH) to 27 yards rushing on 21 carries, and UCF to 0.9 yards per carry (20 yards on 22 carries). Hatcher has 224 receiving yards and two touchdowns this season. He should be much more of a focal point of the offense than when he recorded just two catches against Pitt in 2024.
Mike Spector is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeSpector01.