How and what to watch for Pitt vs. Georgia Tech

The 5-5 Pittsburgh Panthers are looking to get back into the win column this week as they travel down to Atlanta to take on Jeff Sims and the 3-6 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.

Pittsburgh’s record is a bit deceiving at face value. The Panthers have five losses, but all but two of them came against teams that are currently ranked in the top-10 of the College Football Playoff Rankings. The only other losses came by one possession and one of them was in overtime. The fighting Pat Narduzzi’s turn the ball over plenty with 15 giveaways on the season, but have also forced 17 takeaways this season. That number should increase this week against a true freshman quarterback and an offensive unit that’s turned it over 22 times. Pitt’s offense is mediocre, humming along at a pretty average point total (28.5 ppg), and yard total (366 ypg), but the defense has been great at stopping the run, allowing under 100 yards each week.

The Yellow Jackets are a balanced offense, and shockingly get as much production through the air as they do on the ground. Sims, the true freshman signal-caller, is going to be a great talent one day, but he still makes a ton of freshman mistakes for now. He’ll have to have a precision passing game against Pitt’s run stuffing defense that doesn’t give much up to anybody.

Game Time/TV Channel/Streaming

You can watch Pitt vs. Georgia Tech on Thursday December 10th at 7:00 p.m. ET on ESPN3, or you can stream it via the ESPN app with a cable or streaming service login.

Point Spread, Totals, Odds, Trends

Point spread: Pittsburgh (-7) vs Georgia Tech
Point Total: 54
Money line: Pittsburgh (-245) vs Georgia Tech (+195)

• The Panthers are just 2-5 ATS in their last seven games
• The over has been easy money, hitting in all of Pitt’s last seven games
• There’s points galore when the Yellow Jackets play too, hitting the over in all but two of their last eight games

Betting splits

Pittsburgh: (99% of handle, 99% percent of bets)
Georgia Tech: (1% of handle, 1% percent of bets)

The Best Bet

GT is a strange team. They look terrible one week and then a few weeks later they go out and beat an ACC team by multiple scores. Still, Pitt will probably be too much for them to handle, especially since the Panthers clog up the run game real well. Forcing a freshman QB to win the game is usually a good spot for the defense to be in.

Pick: Pitt -7

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (IL). Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ/MI/PA/WV), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (CO/NH), 1-800-BETS-OFF (IA) or Call or Text the TN REDLINE: 800-889-9789. 21+ (18+ NH). NJ/PA/WV/IA/IN/CO/IL/TN/MI only. Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for full terms and conditions.