- Pitt is +3.5 (-120) and +143 on the moneyline, a price that has shortened from +170 at the open.
- Pitt has outscored FBS opponents by 21.3 points a game, compared with 13.0 for Virginia Tech.
- Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer threw for 327 and 314 yards against Old Dominion and Maryland, then 147 at Boston College.
- Pitt has allowed two passing touchdowns in four games but has not yet played a game away from Acrisure Stadium.
BLACKSBURG, Va. – The best bet in Pitt at Virginia Tech is Pitt +3.5, as the undefeated Pittsburgh Panthers visit the undefeated Virginia Tech Hokies at Lane Stadium on Friday night. Pitt’s moneyline has shortened from +170 at the open to +143, and its scoring margin against FBS opponents is 8.3 points a game better than Virginia Tech’s.
The Price On Pitt Has Shortened Since The Open
The legal sports betting market has moved toward Pitt since the open. The Panthers’ moneyline has come in from +170 to +143, and the price on Virginia Tech -3.5 has dropped from -125 to +100. Pitt +3.5 cashes on a win or a loss by three or fewer, and the extra half-point over +3 at -105 costs about 15 cents.
| Bet | Odds | At the open |
|---|---|---|
| Pitt moneyline | +143 | +170 |
| Virginia Tech moneyline | -163 | -205 |
| Pitt spread | +3.5 (-120) | +3.5 (-105) |
| Virginia Tech spread | -3.5 (+100) | -3.5 (-125) |
| Total | 54.5 | 54.5 |
Virginia Tech’s 43.3 Average Includes A 73-3 Opener
Virginia Tech scores 43.3 points a game, second in the ACC, but 73 of its 173 points came against VMI. Against FBS opponents the Hokies have scored 33.3 and allowed 20.3, beating Old Dominion 44-21, Maryland 35-26 and Boston College 21-14. Pitt has scored 32.7 and allowed 11.3 against Miami (Ohio), UCF and Syracuse, a margin of 21.3 points a game to Virginia Tech’s 13.0.
Each sample is three games and Pitt played all of them at home, so the raw gap overstates its edge, but 8.3 points is more than double the number Pitt is getting.
Grunkemeyer’s 300-Yard Streak Ended At Two
Junior Ethan Grunkemeyer became the first Virginia Tech quarterback with back-to-back 300-yard games since Ryan Willis in 2018, Sports Illustrated reported, after throwing for 327 yards against Old Dominion and 314 against Maryland. The streak ended at Boston College, where he went 22 of 35 for 147 yards in a nor’easter with gusts up to 40 mph, the Associated Press reported, and Jeffrey Overton Jr.’s 76-yard touchdown run decided a 21-14 game.
His season line is 1,012 yards, eight touchdowns and a 74.3% completion rate for first-year coach James Franklin. That is the case for the Hokies, and it runs into a Pitt defense that leads the conference at 8.5 points allowed a game.
Pitt’s First Road Game Is The Risk
Pitt has not played outside Acrisure Stadium, and its offense has been uneven against power-conference teams, scoring 12 in a 12-7 win over UCF and 27 in a win over Syracuse. Quarterback Mason Heintschel threw seven touchdown passes against Miami (Ohio) and six against Bucknell, neither a Power Four opponent.
Even so, Pitt has held all four opponents to 14 points or fewer, and Heintschel’s offense has never scored fewer than 12, a pairing that would still cover +3.5 in a 14-12 loss. That combination keeps +3.5 sturdy on the legal college football betting board.
