Syracuse and Pitt meet Thursday night in Pittsburgh with the Panthers carrying the better early-season form and the longer recent edge in the series. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Acrisure Stadium, with ESPN carrying the game.
Pitt has owned this matchup lately. The Panthers lead the all-time series 45-32-3, with one vacated Syracuse win, and they’ve taken the last two meetings.
That includes a 30-13 victory in Syracuse last season when Pitt closed as a 9.5-point road favorite and the Under hit at 54.5. Over the past eight games in the series, Pitt is 7-1 straight up and 6-2 against the spread, while the Under has gone 6-1 in the last seven.
Syracuse comes in at 1-1 overall and 0-1 in ACC play. The Orange blasted New Hampshire 66-3 in Week 1, covering easily as a 35.5-point favorite while the Over connected at 56.5.
But their conference opener went the other way in a 21-18 home loss to Cal, where Syracuse was a 4.5-point favorite and the Under again cashed at 56.5. Quarterback Steve Angeli threw three interceptions in that loss.
Pitt is 2-0 and unbeaten heading into its ACC opener. The Panthers rolled past Miami (Ohio) 59-14 in their opener, covering as 16.5-point favorites while Mason Heintschel tied a school record with seven touchdown passes. Last week, though, Pitt’s offense stalled in a 12-7 win over UCF, and the Panthers failed to cover as 7.5-point favorites while the Under easily came in at 55.5.
The projected score here is Pitt 31, Syracuse 17.
On the moneyline, Pitt (-425) is too expensive to touch. The return is too small for the risk, even if you try to fold it into a parlay.
Against the spread, Pitt -10 (-110) is the play. The Panthers have handled this series well, and their defense is the reason to trust them here.
Heintschel’s huge opener was followed by a much quieter showing against a power-conference defense, and this matchup points to something in between. Syracuse has enough offense to stay involved, but Angeli’s turnover issues are a real problem.
The total to consider is Under 51.5 (-110). Both teams were pulled into lower-scoring games against power-conference opponents last week, and this one sets up with more defense and less downfield passing.
The best prop bet is Cataurus Hicks 50+ receiving yards (-190). Hicks has 8 catches for 178 yards and a touchdown in two games, including 64 receiving yards last week against UCF in that defensive grind. The price is steep, but it’s a solid angle.
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Pat Narduzzi and offensive coordinator Kade Bell have both taken notice of the way Ferguson has handled the challenge, especially considering how little prep time he had when he joined the program. He has also become the only Pitt player to score in each of the teams first two games, which gives the Panthers another intriguing option to track as the offense settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Pitts 2027 ACC Slate Shows How Different This League Now Feels
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At Acrisure Stadium, Pitt is slated to host Cal, Duke, Miami, Wake Forest and SMU, while trips await to Georgia Tech, Syracuse, NC State and Virginia. For a league that once felt far more regional and familiar, this schedule underscores the expanded footprint and the kind of first-time Pittsburgh matchups this century that now come with it. [Read more 🡒]