Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Boston College Eagles Predictions and Betting Preview – September 5, 2014

The Pittsburgh Panthers and the Boston College Eagles are coming off rousing wins in their respective season openers, albeit against lowly teams. On Friday, both squads will begin their campaign in the Atlantic Coast Conference, each looking to gain an early ground in the wide-open ACC Coastal.

Read a detailed preview of that game below. You can also check out our previews of Notre Dame vs. Michigan and Michigan State vs. Oregon.
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Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Boston College Eagles Betting Preview and Prediction

Where: Alumni Stadium, Boston

When: Friday, September 5, 7:00 PM ET

Line: Pittsburgh Panthers vs. Boston College Eagles –  view all NCAA Football lines

Betting on the Pittsburgh Panthers

[sc:NCAA240banner ]Quarterback Tom Savage may have left, but Pitt remains, well, just as savage. The Panthers rushed for over 400 yards with seven rushing touchdowns, while the defense allowed a mere 57 total yards of offense in their 62-0 blowout of the Delaware Blue Hens on August 30. Savage’s replacement, Chad Voytik, went 10-for-13 passing with two touchdowns.

The real test, though, begins for the Panthers when they take on Boston College on the road. Pitt is 3-0 ATS in its last three games away from Heinz Field.

Against the Eagles, the Panthers will bring in a balanced offense, which is capable of effectively breaking down any opposing defense by either passing or rushing. Voytik is a better athlete than Savage was, and his mobility somehow compensates for the offensive line’s fickleness. It’s also a tremendous relief for Voytik to know that he has a talented weapon in Tyler Boyd, who finished third in the ACC with 90.3 yards per game last season.

The potential of this duo was on full display against Delaware, when Voytik fired a pass to Boyd in the first quarter. Boyd left the game in the second quarter due to a dislocated finger and didn’t come back but is still expected to play against Boston College.

In the backfield, another sophomore, James Conner will be a massive threat for Boston College’s D. Conner was unstoppable against the Blue Hens, rushing for 153 yards with four touchdowns.

With the win against Delaware, the over has now hit the over in the last three games of the Panthers.

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Betting on the Boston College Eagles

Andre Williams was always a tough player to replace, but quarterback Tyler Murphy showed he could cover some of the holes left by the former Heisman Trophy finalist running back on the ground. Murphy rushed for a team-leading 118 yards with a touchdown in the Eagles’ 30-7 win over the Massachusetts Minutemen in the season-opener. Murphy also did it without forgetting his playmaking duties, as he completed 17-of-23 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown.

Murphy can’t do it all alone, though. When the Eagles host Pittsburgh on Friday, the dual-threat QB will have a large target on his back. His receiving crew needs to be more active down the field, at least to stretch the Panthers’ defense and add more space for Murphy and the running backs to navigate.

With or without Williams, the Eagles are going to run the ball, but they have to distribute the rushing chores across the backfield. Running backs Myles Willis and Tyler Rouse, along with Murphy, did just that against the Minutemen, as the two accounted for 262 of the team’s 338 total yards on the ground.

The Eagles are tough to beat at Chestnut Hill, judging by their recent performances at Alumni Stadium. They are 4-1 and 5-0 ATS in their last five home games, which includes a 48-34 loss against the Florida State Seminoles last year.

Writer’s Prediction

Pittsburgh wins a close one against the Eagles. See the updated lines and odds of this game here.
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