The No. 24 Pittsburgh Panthers are entering the Hyundai Sun Bowl as underdogs against the Stanford Cardinal. This daytime game will commence at 2:00 p.m. ET and fans can catch the action by tuning in to CBS.
Stanford Cardinal at Pittsburgh Panthers Betting Preview
Pittsburgh is the underdog in this matchup and is currently getting 7 points. The Cardinal are also receiving -270 moneyline odds while the Panthers are +210. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 52 points, and should one squad can create a bunch of points early, it will likely produce a worthwhile betting scenario in-game.
The Cardinal have recorded 0.8 units so far and are 7-4-1 against the spread (ATS). The team has posted an O/U mark of 7-4. The Panthers have gained 3.8 units this season. The team is 7-6 ATS and has an O/U record of 5-7.
The Cardinal have gone 8-4 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Panthers are 7-6 SU.
Pittsburgh enters this matchup on a zero-game winning streak while Stanford has lost each of its last zero. The Cardinal look to keep it going after a 23-13 win over California on December 1. K.J. Costello completed 18 passes for 237 yards and one touchdown. Bryce Love (74 yards on 22 rush attempts) mounted the ground attack. JJ Arcega-Whiteside (five receptions, 109 yards) and Cameron Scarlett (three catches, 54 yards, one TD) handled the receiving duties in the win.
Back on December 1, Clemson knocked off this Pittsburgh crew by a score of 42-10. Kenny Pickett completed four-of-16 passes for eight yards and one interception. Darrin Hall (86 rushing yards on 14 attempts) and Qadree Ollison (56 yards on 13 carries, one TD) spearheaded the running game as Rafael Araujo-Lopes (two receptions, 10 yards) and Hall (one catch, -4 yards) led the receiving corps in the loss.
Stanford’s run the ball on 46.2 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Pittsburgh has an overall rush percentage of 64.8 percent. The Cardinal have run for 108 yards per game and have 14 scores on the ground this year. The Panthers are logging 229 rushing yards per game and have 29 total rush TDs.
It seems like the Cardinal might be the more disruptive team in the trenches, as their offensive line has yielded just 17 sacks while the D-line registered 32 sacks. The Panthers O-line has given up 31 sacks and their defense has recorded only 23 sacks.
The Cardinal offensive scheme has logged 287 yards per game through the air overall and has 29 passing scores so far. The Panthers have produced 142 pass yards per outing and have 12 total pass TDs.
Defensively, Stanford has allowed 141 rush yards and 275 pass yards per game. The Pittsburgh D has allowed 217.3 yards per game to opposing passers and 184.1 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to the opposition, as the Cardinal have given up an ANY/A of 6.05 to opposing QBs, while the Panthers are allowing an ANY/A of 6.39.
Offensively, Costello is up to 3,091 passing yards this year, and has connected on 67 percent of his 359 attempts with 24 passing scores and 10 interceptions. He’s got a pristine 7.93 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 9.26 over the last two games.
On the other sideline, Kenny Pickett has completed 155-of-259 passes for 1,703 yards, 12 TDs and six INTs. Pickett’s ANY/A stands at 5.26 for the year and 0.57 over his last two outings.
Free Pick: Stanford Cardinal vs. Pittsburgh Panthers
SU Winner – Stanford, ATS Winner – Stanford, O/U – Under
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Notes
Betting Notes
The Cardinal offense has registered eight pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Panthers have accounted for 10 such plays.
The Stanford defense has allowed seven pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Pittsburgh has given up 10 such plays.
The Stanford offense has created 12 rushing plays of 20+ yards, while Pittsburgh has created 33 such runs.
The Cardinal defense has allowed 14 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Panthers have given up 33 such runs.
The Stanford D has sacked opposing QBs 34 times this year. Pittsburgh has registered 29 sacks.
As a team, Stanford has averaged 4.9 yards per rush attempt over its past three games and 3.4 over its last two.
Pittsburgh has averaged 3.1 yards per carry over its last three outings and 3.0 over its last two.
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