Ranked two and three in the ACC Coastal division, the Panthers and Hurricanes will match up for a rivalry game as they look to close out the season with a win.
Coming off a win over Georgia Tech, Miami looks to make it two straight while Pittsburgh aims for its third straight triumph.
College Football Odds at BookMaker.eu
Miami Hurricanes +5.5
Pittsburgh Panthers -5.5
ODDS ANALYSIS
Miami has lost five of its last nine games ATS and two of its last three, finally beating the spread on Saturday. On the other side, the Panthers took their second straight ATS on Saturday, but over their last seven games they’re a mere 3-4 ATS.
Of course, home field gives Pittsburgh a nice edge as they are in Heinz Field, but the Panthers are just 1-5 ATS in their last six home games. On the other side, however, things aren’t much better with the Hurricanes going 5-11 ATS in the last 16 they hit the highway.
KEY MISMATCH
The Hurricanes and Panthers are direct opposites. Pittsburgh thrives against the rush on defense while rushing for 185.6 yards per game. They, however, aren’t nearly as good against the pass and on offense are averaging less than 200 passing yards per game, ranking just No. 90 in the nation.
Meanwhile, the Hurricanes have a very strong pass offense behind quarterback Brad Kaaya. The sophomore has thrown for 2,758 yards and has a very respectable 14:4 touchdown to interception ratio.
Though, while the passing game is strong, the running game is lackluster at best. They do have 17 rushing touchdowns, but in terms of total yardage, the team’s ranked No. 117 in the league with 119.8 rushing yards per game. They also struggle defending the run, allowing 212.8 yards to the opposition.
With Miami thriving through the air and the Panthers doing much better on the ground, this game could come down to whichever team does better on the opposite side of the ball.
KEY STAT
.441 – This is the third down conversion rate for the Panthers, ranked No. 32 in the nation. Pittsburgh’s strong running game has helped lead to this strong conversion rate while the Hurricanes passing attack hasn’t quite resulted in the same level of success.
Miami ranks No. 93 in the nation in third down situations, converting just 36.4% of their opportunities.
BETTING ANGLE
Last season, the Panthers got their first win over the Hurricanes since 1997, winning 35-23. In the game Pittsburgh rushed for 226 yards, 101 more than the Hurricanes. They also did well in the red zone, capitalizing on their opportunities despite accumulating 61 fewer total yards.
Pittsburgh will be determined to start a streak of their own against Miami while the Hurricanes look to regain their former dominance against their ACC Coastal division foes.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
With home field on their side and the confidence having beaten the Hurricanes a season ago, look for them to capture the win.
The Panthers’ rushing attack gives them the edge on short down plays and they already displayed the ability to win against Miami despite coming up short in the air.
That said, look for this to be a close game as the Hurricanes should have no problems moving the ball down the field with enough success against the Panthers’ lackluster pass defense.
Pittsburgh 29, Miami 24
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The game between the Miami Hurricanes and Pittsburgh Panthers will start at 12 p.m. ET on Friday, November 27, 2015, at Heinz Field. You can watch the game live on ESPN2.
