The Boston College Eagles and Pittsburgh Panthers are set to square off on the grass at Heinz Field. The opening kickoff for this conference matchup is set for 3:30 p.m. ET and ACC Network is scheduled to have the TV rights.
Betting Preview: Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Boston College Eagles
In this Saturday Atlantic Coast game, Pittsburgh is getting picked as the heavy favorite and the team’s currently giving up 9 points. The Eagles are also receiving +270 moneyline odds while the Panthers are -350. If one squad can find paydirt early on it’ll create a worthwhile live betting opportunity. Vegas has determined the over/under (O/U) to be 52 points.
Early action has shifted toward the Eagles. This opening line was initially placed at -10 while the game’s O/U was originally 52.5.
The hapless Eagles are down 14.5 units so far and 6-5 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U record of 8-3.
The surprising Panthers have gained 3.5 units this season. They’re 7-3 ATS and own an O/U record of 3-7.
The Eagles are 5-6 straight up (SU), including 3-4 SU against ACC opponents. The Panthers are 7-4 SU overall and 4-3 SU in conference play.
These two ACC foes did not get a chance to face each other in 2018.
The Eagles came up short to Notre Dame 40-7 in a thumping where their defense allowed the Fighting Irish to run for 252 yards on 44 rush attempts, along with one rushing TD. Cole Kmet had a productive day for the Fighting Irish in that one with 78 yards and a score on seven catches. On the offense, Dennis Grosel completed just nine passes on 20 attempts for 63 yards and one interception. AJ Dillon (56 yards on 14 rush attempts) and the signal-caller Grosel (45 yards on 13 carries, one TD) spearheaded the ground attack. Hunter Long (three receptions, 17 yards) and Kobay White (three catches, 29 yards) shared the receiving duties in the defeat.
Pittsburgh was just blanked 28-0 by Virginia Tech. The team’s defense let the Hokies rush for 110 yards on 48 attempts, along with one rushing TD. Tayvion Robinson put up a good showing, recording 74 yards on two catches for Virginia Tech. For Pittsburgh, Kenny Pickett completed 10-of-26 passes for 103 yards. Pickett (-12 rushing yards on eight attempts) spearheaded the running game while Jared Wayne (four receptions, 68 yards) and Taysir Mack (three catches, 18 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
Boston College’s run the ball on 68.1 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Pittsburgh has a rush percentage of 47.3 percent. The Eagles have run for 268.2 yards/game (including 281.6 per game versus Atlantic Coast opponents) and have 26 scores on the ground this year. The Panthers are putting up 125.2 rush yards per game (117.9 in conference) and have nine total rushing TDs.
The Eagles offensive scheme has tallied 188.9 yards per contest in the air overall (209.3 per game against conference opposition) and has 19 passing TDs so far. The Panthers have recorded 247.1 pass yards per contest (216 in the ACC) and have 14 total pass scores.
Defensively, Boston College has allowed 190.7 rush yards and 297.5 pass yards per game. The Pittsburgh D has allowed 202.2 yards per game to opposing passers and 92.6 yards per game to opposing runners. The Panthers are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.55 to opponents, while the Eagles have allowed an 8.45 ANY/A.
Offensively, Grosel has put up 546 passing yards on the year, and has completed 42 percent of his 90 attempts with six passing scores and two interceptions. He’s got a 5.57 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 3.87 over the past two outings.
Kenny Pickett has connected on 207-of-349 passes for 2,055 yards, nine TDs and eight INTs for Pittsburgh. His ANY/A stands at 4.65 for the year and 6.39 over his last two outings.
Boston College Eagles vs. Pittsburgh Panthers NCAA Tip
SU Winner: Pittsburgh, ATS Winner: Pittsburgh, O/U: Over
Team Betting Notes
- The Pittsburgh defensive unit has sacked opposing QBs 48 times this year. Boston College has registered just 12 sacks.
- The Pittsburgh offense has lost eight fumbles in 2019 while the Boston College offense has lost five.
- The Eagles offense has created 10 pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Panthers have put up eight such plays.
- The Boston College defense has allowed 10 pass plays of 40+ yards, while Pittsburgh has given up 11 such plays.
- The Boston College offense has created 27 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Pittsburgh has created eight such runs.
- The Eagles defense has allowed 20 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while the Panthers have given up six such runs.
- Boston College has lost four of its last five games SU, with a 31-point victory over Syracuse on November 2nd accounting for the only win over that span.
- As a team, Boston College has produced 5.3 yards per carry across its last three contests and 3.8 over its last two.
- Pittsburgh has averaged 3.6 yards per carry over its last three outings and 3.1 over its last two.
