There’s only one guarantee I’m willing to make about the Week 1 game between West Virginia and Pittsburgh: it’ll get ugly.
Affectionately known as the Backyard Brawl, this long-time rivalry between schools just 75 miles apart will resume Thursday night after an 11-year hiatus. It’s already apparent the time apart did nothing to cool the fire between the sides — Pittsburgh quarterback Kedon Slovis had some not-so-nice things to say about the team in Morgantown.
A transfer from USC, Slovis was likely emboldened by playing on the favored side in this matchup. His 17th-ranked Panthers are favored by 7.5 points with -340 odds on their moneyline at Tipico Sportsbook.
Slovis might also have a little friendly rivalry with the quarterback on the other side, JT Daniels, a Georgia transfer and Slovis’ former teammate with the Trojans who once beat him for a starting job. I think Slovis channels that energy into a solid game and helps Pitt cover the spread. WVU can be mad about what he said, but it won’t matter.
The Panthers are returning a good amount of starters from a defense that was sixth in the nation against the run in 2021. If they can continue that type of play against a West Virginia team now without Leddie Brown, they can force the Mountaineers to be one-dimensional and make Daniels’ job a little more difficult. That could make all the difference in the spread.
However, Daniels won’t be completely shut down. Which is why I also like for this game to go over 51.5 points. He’s been around awhile and has played plenty in the past. Pittsburgh’s secondary isn’t exactly the Legion of Boom. West Virginia will score a little, so a Pitt cover means the game finishes with a final of around 33-24.
