The Week 2 college football schedule begins with an 11 a.m. ET ACC vs. MAC battle as the Pittsburgh Panthers host the Ohio Bobcats at Heinz Field. The Panthers dropped a conference game to Virginia, 30-14, in Week 1, while Ohio knocked off FCS-level Rhode Island, 41-20. Both sides have aspirations of returning to the postseason after Pittsburgh won the ACC Coastal Division last year and played in the Sun Bowl and Ohio appeared in the Frisco Bowl. The latest Pittsburgh vs. Ohio odds list the Panthers as 4-point favorites, down two points form the opening line. The over-under for total points is set at 54. Before locking in any Pittsburgh vs. Ohio picks of your own for this early Saturday matchup, be sure to see the college football predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times, and those who have followed it have seen massive returns. Over the past four years, this proprietary computer model has generated a jaw-dropping $4,530 profit for $100 bettors on its top-rated spread picks. The model enters Week 2 of the 2019 college football season on a blistering 52-31 run on all top-rated picks. It also called Auburn (-3.5) covering against Oregon and Alabama (-34) covering a nearly five-touchdown spread against Duke in Week 1. Anybody who has been following it is way up.
Now, it has simulated Pittsburgh vs. Ohio 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning over, and it's also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
The model has taken into account that Pittsburgh surprised many last season by winning its division. The Panthers specialized in winning close games during that run, knocking off Syracuse, Virginia, Georgia Tech and Duke all by 10 points or less. Their quest to defend their Coastal Division crown got off to a rough start last week against the Cavaliers, however. Pitt averaged just 2.6 yards per carry and allowed UVA quarterback Bryce Perkins to account for over 200 yards of total offense and two scores.
The Panthers will need to clean up some early-season issues that showed up against Virginia last week. They lost the turnover, penalty and time of possession battles, and they'll need to play a cleaner game to get the win and cover against this talented MAC squad that has won seven of its last eight games dating to last season.
The Bobcats had plenty to build off of in their season-opening win over Rhode Island. Quarterback Nathan Rourke was 16 of 22 for 188 yards and two touchdowns. He also led the Bobcats on the ground with 75 yards and a score. In total, Ohio rushed for almost 278 yards and found the end zone three times on the ground.
A couple 2018 offensive numbers to keep in mind before kickoff: The Panthers were 10th-worst in the nation in passing yards per game last season, averaging just 141.8 per game. On the other hand, the Bobcats were seventh in the nation in rushing touchdowns, finishing the season with 40.
So who wins Pittsburgh vs. Ohio? And which side of the spread is hitting in 60 percent of simulations? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its college football picks.
