The North Carolina State Wolfpack (1-1) and Pittsburgh Panthers (3-0) tangle at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, for a 12 p.m. ET kickoff Saturday. Below, we analyze the NC State-Pittsburgh college football betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
The Panthers are the No. 25 team in the Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports.
NC State at Pittsburgh: Betting odds and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday at 6:10 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Pittsburgh -625 (bet $625 to win $100) | North Carolina State +450 (bet $100 to win $450)
- Against the spread/ATS: Pittsburgh -14 (-110) | North Carolina State +14 (-110)
- Over/Under: 47.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
NC State at Pittsburgh: Three things to know
- Defense hasn’t been a hallmark of the Wolfpack through two games, as NC State has coughed up 43.5 points per game, good for 67th in the country while failing to post a takeaway. Of course, the good news is they haven’t turned the ball over on offense, either.
- Pitt has posted a 3-0 SU record while going 1-1-1 ATS after a push last week in a 23-20 win against Louisville. The defense for the Panthers has been sound, as they’re second in the nation in total yards (177.0), rushing yards (56.0) and takeaways (six). They’re also third against the pass (121.0 yards) and seventh with 10.0 PPG allowed.
- The Wolfpack is just 5-15-1 ATS in their past 21 vs. ACC and 3-12-1 ATS in the previous 16 on the road. Of course, the Panthers are 8-20-1 ATS in the past 29 as a home favorite, and 0-3-1 ATS in the past four conference battles.
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North Carolina State at Pittsburgh: Odds, betting lines and picks
Prediction
Pittsburgh 38, NC State 20
Money line (ML)
Backing the favorite Pittsburgh (-625) will cost you more than six times your potential return. That’s a hard pass for me, as I won’t play a money line over -180 under any circumstances unless I am tossing a game into a six-team parlay or more. And even then, my limit in that situation is -275 to -300 tops. AVOID.
Against the spread (ATS)
PITTSBURGH -14 (-110) covered against FCS Austin Peay in the opener, 55-0, but that didn’t really tell us much about the Panthers. The first two ACC games against Syracuse, a 21-10, and especially the 23-20 win over Louisville really showed the D is for real. If the Panthers handled Cardinals QB Micale Cunningham and WR Tutu Atwell last weekend, they’ll be able to shut down the inconsistent Wolfpack.
Over/Under (O/U)
OVER 47.5 (-110) is the best play in this game. I’ve mentioned Pitt’s sturdy defense ad nauseum above, but on the flip side, NC State’s defensive showings in the first two games are ridiculously poor. QB Kenny Pickett will be able to pick them apart, and we’ll see Pitt’s best offensive performance since the opener against the FCS Governors.
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