2011 BBVA Compass Bowl: Kentucky vs. Pittsburgh Picks & Predictions
By Anthony Rome
Birmingham, AL (The Spread) - In one of the final bowl games before the BCS title matchup on Monday, Pittsburgh will take on Kentucky in the 2011 BBVA Compass Bowl on Saturday at 12:00PM ET. Continue reading for picks, odds and trends on this college football matchup.
View Current College Football Odds
According to oddsmakers from online sports book SBGGLOBAL.com, Pittsburgh is a 3.5-point favorite over Kentucky in the BBVA Compass Bowl. The over/under total for this game is currently 52.5 points.
The Wildcards enter this game with a 6-6 record and also went 6-6 against the spread according to latest college football trends. They were 1-4 on the road this year and 1-4 against the spread on the road, while the over hit in nine of their 12 games
The Panthers finished the regular season with a 7-5 record and went 6-4-2 against the spread. The over hit in seven of their 12 games, as they averaged 26.6 points per contest and 19.8 points against.
BBVA Compass Bowl Free Pick:
Pitt’s strength is on the defensive side of the ball. They rank 11th in the nation in total defense (304.25 yards per game) and 22nd in scoring defense (19.75 points per game). They’re led by Big East Defensive Player of the Year Jabaal Sheard, who ranked up 52 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks, four forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. His teammate, Brandon Lindsey, finished with 10 sacks and 16 tackles for loss this season. Sophomore quarterback Morgan Newton stepped up for Mike Hartline after the starting quarterback was suspended after an alcohol-related arrest, but like any inexperienced signal caller, Newton struggled with consistency. We expect that trend to continue and we think this will be a low-scoring game throughout. The under is 5-2 in the Wildcats’ last seven games against the Big East and 4-0 in the Panthers’ lat four Bowl games. It’s also 4-0 in the Panthers’ last four games at a neutral site and 7-2 in their last nine games when they’re favored by 3.5-10 points. Our pick is the under 52.5.
2011 BBVA COMPASS BOWL FREE PICK: KENTUCKY/PITT UNDER 52.5