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These two teams have played spoiler in the ACC, which sets up a great matchup between them in Louisville. It is time to continue our college football odds series with a Pitt-Louisville prediction and pick.
Pitt-Louisville Last Game – Matchup History
Pitt won the most recent matchup against Louisville at home in Pittsburgh, 38-21, last year. These conference foes meet this year in a pivotal matchup for the ACC standings. The winner becomes a clear challenger for the top teams.
Overall Series: Louisville leads (9-11)
Here are the Pitt-Louisville College Football odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Pitt-Louisville Odds
Pitt: +7.5 (-108)
Moneyline: +235
Louisville: -7.5 (-112)
Moneyline: -295
Over: 56.5 (-110)
Under: 56.5 (-110)
How to Watch Pitt vs. Louisville
Time: 4:00 pm ET/1:00 pm PT
Article Continues Below
TV: ESPN2
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why Pitt Could Cover The Spread/Win
Pitt has been a great story this season, and their offensive improvement is the key. They are averaging 35 points and 428.5 total yards per game. Freshman quarterback Eli Holstein has been great, but he is injured, and backup Nate Yarnell might get the starting nod once again. Yarnell has 664 passing yards, six passing touchdowns, and three interceptions with a 62.7% completion percentage. Konata Mumpfield has been a standout in a balanced receiving corps. He has 618 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 40 receptions. Then, in the backfield, Desmond Reid has been great. He has 738 yards and four touchdowns on 132 carries. This offense is better with Holstein under center, but Yarnell proved he can be solid, especially after last week in a near upset against Clemson.
Pitt's defense has been inconsistent this season. They allow 25 points and 359.9 total yards per game. They are great against the run but struggle against the pass. They allow 255.3 yards through the air and 104.6 yards on the ground. This will be a big matchup for the Pitt defense because the Louisville offense has been great and is one of the best units in the ACC. Pitt has the tools to slow them down, but they need to step up big-time in this matchup.
Why Louisville Could Cover The Spread/Win
Louisville has been great this season on offense. They are averaging 447.8 yards and 36.1 points per game. The key for the offense is Tyler Shough. Shough has 2,774 passing yards, 21 passing touchdowns, and six interceptions with a 63.6% completion percentage. In the receiving corps, Ja'Corey Brooks is the best pass-catcher, and he has 945 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 57 receptions. The running game has also been solid with Isaac Brown. He has 803 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, on 108 carries. This offense goes as Shough goes through the air. The Cardinals have a lot of talent on offense and will be key in this game against Pitt.
The Louisville defense has been solid this season, allowing 25.6 points per game and 372.8 yards per game. They are solid against both the run and the pass, allowing 233.3 yards through the air and 139.5 yards on the ground. This is a big test for the Louisville defense because the Pitt offense has been great this year and is massively improved. This defense needs to step up and be the difference in this game against the Panthers. This offense can carve them up, regardless of who plays at quarterback for the Panthers.
Final Pitt-Louisville Prediction & Pick
Louisville is the better team right now and should win and cover against Pitt at home. Pitt's defense is not equipped to slow down Louisville's offense, which is key in this matchup. Pitt might also be without Eli Holstein under center, which favors Louisville, too, because Tyler Shough has been much better than either Holstein or Yarnell. This is going to be a close game at first, but expect Louisville to pull away and win and cover at home.
Final Pitt-Louisville Prediction & Pick: Louisville -7.5 (-112)
