Pitt and Penn State have a prominent prime time TV slot for their Sept. 8 clash at Heinz Field, but odds makers don’t think they’ll put on much of a show for a national audience.
South Point casino in Las Vegas, Nev., one of the more prominent sports books in the betting industry, installed the Nittany Lions as a 14-point favorite against the Panthers when it released its opening lines for select college football games Thursday.
College Football “Games of the Year” hot off the presses from @southpointlv pic.twitter.com/4JiF0ozBH7
— Covers (@Covers) May 24, 2018
Penn State thumped Pitt, 33-14, when the teams met in Happy Valley a year ago, but a lot has changed since then. Star running back Saquon Barkley and tight end Mike Gesicki were among a number of key Lions who moved on to the NFL. Pitt, meanwhile, capped a disappointing 5-7 season with a big win against No. 2 Miami last November at Heinz Field.
None of that, it seems, has changed the perception of the matchup much from a year ago, when Penn State opened as a 19-point favorite.
South Point also released lines on three other Penn State games Thursday. The Lions opened as 4½-point favorites for their Nov. 10 home game against Wisconsin, but they’re 1½-point underdogs for their Sept. 29 home game against Ohio State and 3½-point underdogs for their Nov. 3 visit to Michigan.
Adam Bittner: abittner@post-gazette.com and Twitter @fugimaster24.
First Published: May 24, 2018, 10:43 p.m.
