CFB Best Bets, Picks and Analysis For West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh on September 1, 2022

The Pittsburgh Panthers lost star quarterback Kenny Pickett to the NFL, but they have done a nice job of retooling and will now look to get the new college football season started off with a home win over the West Virginia Mountaineers. This one will kick off on Thursday, September 1 at 7:00PM ET and the fans at Acrisure Stadium will be amped up to see their team in action for the first time this season.

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For the most up to date CFB computer picks, check out our interactive predictions for West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh. It's constantly updating based on hundreds of different data points.

West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh Best Bets, Predictions and Analysis

Spread Breakdown

Pittsburgh no longer has Pickett under center, but USC transfer Kedon Slovis is a legitimate NFL prospect and he should do just fine in helping this Panthers team put up a lot of points. A bigger loss than Pickett is potentially the departure of offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, who probably regrets heading to Nebraska after the Cornhuskers lost to the Northwestern Wildcats in Ireland last week.

Whipple had designed a very quarterback-friendly system for Pittsburgh, and it was one that was explosive when it clicked. New offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. will have to find a way to do something similar — and he'll have to do so without star wideout Jordan Addison, who transferred to USC after last season. But we have quite a bit of faith in the Panthers putting out a good product on offense, even if it leans a bit more run-heavy this year. The team has a lot of starters returning from last year's squad, so the experience is there. 

MORE: CFB Futures Probabilities

Pittsburgh also brings back seven starters on defense, which is a lot for a defensive mastermind like Narduzzi to work with. Six of those players earned All-ACC honors and this just has the potential to be a downright scary group this year. Look for Narduzzi to dial up the pressure to try and make JT Daniels uncomfortable. Daniels arrives in Morgantown after having spent time with both USC and Georgia, but he'll find that his supporting cast at West Virginia just isn't nearly as talented as the ones he's had in the past.

Daniels could have some successful drives in this game, as it might take time for Narduzzi to adjust to new Mountaineers offensive coordinator Graham Harrell's offense. But all in all, we expect this Panthers defense to rise to the occasion eventually, getting stops when they matter at the end of the game. 

It should also be noted that West Virginia is just 3-8 straight-up and 4-6-1 against the spread when playing as an underdog of 3.5 to 10 points under head coach Neal Brown. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh is 16-7 straight-up and 13-10 against the spread when favored by that much. 

Over/Under Breakdown

This game features two teams that have generally preferred a defensive brand of football under these head coaches, but it's hard to ignore the fact that the Panthers are really nasty up front and should be able to run the ball at will in this game. If Pittsburgh is picking up chunk yardage with regularity, this game is going to end up being higher scoring than people think. 

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If the Panthers do end up finding as much success as we think they will on offense, that'll be a good sign for Over bettors. That would force the Mountaineers to allow Daniels really start to let it rip. While that might lead to some mistakes, it should also result in a couple of drives that end in scores. 

The reality here is that Harrell-led offenses play fast and score points, so we don't see West Virginia going Under on a total this low unless they're playing against an offense that is absolutely inept. That isn't Pittsburgh. 

Best Bet: Mountaineers vs. Panthers

While we like Pittsburgh to cover in this one, we feel the safer play is going with total. The Panthers might run more this season, but they'll be doing so behind an offensive line that gets everybody back from last year. With that said, this team should move the ball at will and Slovis is good enough to make defenses pay with his arm.

We also think the Mountaineers will score enough to help Over bettors, which is why we're rolling with Over 51 and suggest using the DraftKings bet $5 to get $200 offer mentioned at the top of this article because, even if it doesn't hit, new customers still get $200 just for joining and betting $5 on the Over. You can claim it ➡️ here ⬅️.