2022 Pittsburgh Panthers Betting Odds, Picks & Predictions

Daniel Dobish Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

2022 PITTSBURGH PANTHERS BETTING ODDS, PREDICTIONS, PREVIEW

The 2021 football season for the Pitt Panthers was magical. Pitt was expected to be middle of the road, and perhaps seven or eight wins was believed to be their ceiling. Boy did they exceed expectations tremendously. QB Kenny Pickett completed 67.2% of his pass attempts for 4,319 yards, 42 touchdowns and seven interceptions while running for 241 yards and five more scores, helping the Panthers to an ACC Championship Game victory over Wake Forest and a berth in the Peach Bowl. Pickett won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and was then selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the hometown Pittsburgh Steelers.

Head coach Pat Narduzzi did a fabulous job for the Panthers, and the team ended up 11-3 while finishing No. 13 in the rankings. Now, can they do it again?

Updated on 11/19/2024

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While Pickett is gone, the team added former USC starting QB Kedon Slovis via the transfer portal. He struggled with miscues for the Trojans and fell out of favor, and Narduzzi is hoping a change of scenery will snap him back to his previous ways. The Panthers lost leading receiver and Biletnikoff winner WR Jordan Addison (100-1,593-17), ironically, to USC. WR Jared Wayne will be tasked with stepping up and stepping in, and the team added WR Konata Mumpfield through the portal from Akron to help shore up the position, too. The good news for Slovis and the run game is that all five starters return from a strong offensive line.

On defense, Pitt has six all-conference selections back in the fold, including DT Calijah Kancey. He rolled up seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss, and the team ranked second in the country with 3.86 sacks per game, while ranking sixth overall against the run. Leading tackler LB SirVocea Dennis is also back after posting 87 stops and 9.5 tackles for loss.

The season begins with a renewal of the Backyard Brawl, its rivalry with West Virginia, which has been on ice since Nov. 25, 2011. If the season wasn't highly anticipated enough, Heinz Field will be rocking on Sept. 1 for that one. It doesn't get any easier, as Tennessee strolls into town the following week before a two-game respite.

The conference schedule is favorable for the Panthers, as the crossover portion of the schedule does not feature Clemson, NC State or Wake Forest, the top three teams from the Atlantic Division. The toughest games will be road trips to UNC in late October, as well as the finale in the oppressive heat at Miami. Still, there is an outside chance Pitt could run the table in the conference, or at the very least be a one-loss team, if Slovis is the real deal and the offense somewhat picks up where it left off. The non-conference slate might be the most challenging part of the sked.

Best Bet: Pittsburgh Over 8.5 Wins (-115)

2022 PITTSBURGH PANTHERS SCHEDULE

• Thu., Sept. 1 - vs. West Virginia
• Sat., Sept. 10 - vs. Tennessee
• Sat., Sept. 17 - at Western Michigan
• Sat., Sept. 24 - vs. Rhode Island
• Sat., Oct. 1 - vs. Georgia Tech
• Sat., Oct. 8 - vs. Virginia Tech
• Sat., Oct 22 - at Louisville
• Sat., Oct. 29 - at UNC
• Sat., Nov. 5 - vs. Syracuse
• Sat., Nov. 12 - at Virginia
• Sat., Nov. 19 - vs. Duke
• Sat., Nov. 26 - at Miami-Florida

WIN TOTAL ODDS

• Over 8.5 (-115)
• Under 8.5 (-105)

PITTSBURGH PANTHERS ODDS TO WIN ACC CHAMPIONSHIP

+900

Pitt would be in a lot better shape if Addison were on the receiving end of throws from Slovis. His loss is going to be a big one for the Panthers, especially early. Over time, certainly by the conference portion of the schedule, the Panthers should be able to fill the void. As mentioned above, the schedule sets up rather favorably, and it's possible the Panthers could run the table or be a one-loss team in the Coastal Division. The defending champs are worth a look at this nice price for the repeat.

PITTSBURGH PANTHERS ODDS TO WIN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

+10000

While an ACC Championship is certainly within the team's grasp, it will likely be doing so as a two-loss team. Pitt will be a good team, perhaps a 10-win team, but it isn't national championship timber. They'll be equal to, or slightly lesser, than last season's 11-win team which went to a major bowl, but didn't sniff the CFP.

PITTSBURGH PANTHERS 2022 HEISMAN CONTENDERS & ODDS

Kedon Slovis (QB) +2500

Slovis can be plugged right into the lineup and he will hopefully pick right up where Pickett left off. But Slovis made a lot of mistakes at USC last season, eventually falling out of favor. A change of scenery might be just what the doctor ordered, and like the ACC Championship section above, I'd feel a lot better about the quarterback's chances at a Heisman shot if he had Addison camping under his passes.

2021 PITTSBURGH PANTHERS BETTING RESULTS

• SU: 11-3
• ATS: 10-4
• O/U: 8-6
• ATS-Home: 4-3
• ATS-Road: 6-1
• ATS-Favorite: 10-3
• ATS-Underdog: 0-1

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Daniel Dobish

Dan is a handicapper and sports betting expert for VegasInsider with years of experience writing for a number of top publications in the industry. More from Daniel Dobish