PITTSBURGH (6 - 6) vs. OLE MISS (6 - 6)
Top Trends for this game.
OLE MISS is 18-6 ATS (+11.4 Units) in road games when playing with 2 weeks or more of rest since 1992.
PITTSBURGH is 40-22 ATS (+15.8 Units) off a win against a conference rival since 1992.
Head-to-Head Series History
There were no past matchups in this series during this time period.
PITTSBURGH vs. MISSISSIPPI
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games
Mississippi is 6-13 SU in its last 19 games
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Mississippi's last 6 games
Pittsburgh vs. Mississippi
Pittsburgh: 10-2 ATS in the second half of the season
Mississippi: 12-2 Under off BB games committing 3+ turnovers
Compass Bowl Preview
By Vegasinsider.com
PITTSBURGH PANTHERS (6-6) vs. OLE MISS REBELS (6-6)
Sportsbook.ag Line & Total: Ole Miss -3.5 & 54
Opening Line & Total: Rebels -3.5 & 52
A pair of teams looking to avoid losing seasons meet in Saturday's BBVA Compass Bowl when Pittsburgh takes on Ole Miss.
Both teams are just 6-6 straight-up, but have both been outstanding wagers, with Pittsburgh going 8-2 ATS in its past 10 games and Ole Miss going 7-2 ATS in its past nine contests. The Panthers are playing in this same bowl for the third straight year, but they were crushed 28-6 by SMU last January. The Rebels have not lost a bowl game since 2000, winning four in a row, including three straight Cotton Bowls. Pittsburgh has held seven of its past 10 opponents to 17 points or less, while Ole Miss has scored 30-plus points on seven different occasions this year.
It’s hard to overlook the fact that Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze is 12-3 ATS as a favorite in his young coaching career, which spans last season when he was at Arkansas State, and then this season in his first year at Ole Miss.
Pittsburgh was an underdog of 5 points or less three times this season, and while the Panthers were able to cover a 1.5-point spread with a 1-point loss to Syracuse, they lost by 24 as a 5-point underdog to Cincinnati and by 10 as a 2.5-point home dog to Louisville. And since 1992, the Rebels are 14-3 ATS (82%) when facing good passing teams (250+ YPG) in non-home games.
Pittsburgh QB Tino Sunseri has been sharp all season with 8.6 YPA, 19 TD and just 2 INT, as he's currently gone nine straight games without throwing a pick. He is the biggest reason why the Panthers have the fewest turnovers in FBS (8) and post a strong +12 TO margin for the year. But Sunseri has not lit up the stat sheet in the past two BBVA Compass Bowls, completing just 28-of-47 passes (59.6%) for 279 yards (5.9 YPA), 1 TD and 2 INT.
But this time he will have the services of RB Ray Graham, who was injured for last year's postseason game, and ran for 90 yards on 5.3 YPC in the 2011 BBVA Compass Bowl win over Kentucky. Graham has 1,042 rushing yards (4.7 YPC) and 11 TD this season, including 529 yards and 6 TD over his past five games. In three games against Top 25 teams, Graham gained 399 yards on the ground with 5 total TD, helping his team win two of those contests with the lone defeat coming in triple overtime to Notre Dame.
The Panthers defense has been stifling in their past two games, holding Rutgers to six points and 207 total yards, then limiting South Florida to three points and 117 total yards. For the season, they rank 17th in FBS in total defense (326 YPG) and 21st in scoring defense (19.7 PPG). Pittsburgh excels in defending the pass, allowing just 197 YPG, 12 TD and 13 INT for the season.
Ole Miss QB Bo Wallace isn't the most reliable arm with 15 picks this year and five multi-INT games, but he does have 1,105 total yards (368 YPG) and 11 total TD in the past three games, all against bowl teams (Vanderbilt, LSU and Mississippi State). He also leads his team with eight rushing touchdowns. Fellow sophomore, WR Donte Moncrief, has been money in the past two games with 13 catches for 334 yards and five touchdowns. The school's leading rusher is junior Jeff Scott (828 rush yds, 6 TD), but he had gone four straight games with 50 rushing yards or less before his 111-yard outburst against the rival Bulldogs in their annual Egg Bowl meeting. Scott has found the end zone just once in the past six games combined.
The Rebels defense is average, allowing 28.5 PPG (66th in nation) and 385 total YPG (51st in FBS), but they do a nice job stuffing the run (133 YPG, 29th in FBS), holding their past three opponents to 93 rushing YPG on 2.8 yards per carry. The defense is also very capable of forcing turnovers with 18 takeaways over the past seven games.
Compass Bowl: What Bettors Need to Know
By Covers.com
Pittsburgh vs. Mississippi (-3.5, 53.5)
BBVA COMPASS BOWL STORYLINES
1. Pittsburgh will be playing in Birmingham for the third straight year, but for the first time with the same man who coached the team during the regular season (Paul Chryst). Dave Wannstedt was fired prior to the team’s 27-10 win over Kentucky after the 2010 season before Todd Graham missed last season's 28-6 defeat against SMU to take over at Arizona State.
2. The Panthers boast a 3,000-yard passer and 1,000-yard rusher in the same season for the first time in school history. Tino Sunseri has thrown for 3,103 yards – the third highest single-season total by a Pittsburgh quarterback – while running back Ray Graham recovered from preseason knee surgery and has rushed for 1,042 yards.
3. Mississippi will be making its first bowl appearance since the 2009 season under first-year coach Hugh Freeze. Like Chryst – who was rumored to be a top candidate for the Wisconsin opening before Utah State's Gary Andersen accepted the job – Freeze will be staying put after signing an extension and leading the Rebels back to .500 after a dismal 2-10 record last season under Houston Nutt.
LINE: Mississippi -3.5, O/U 53.5.
WEATHER: Forecasts are calling for temperatures in the high-40s with a 25 percent chance of showers. Winds will be calm.
TRENDS:
* Under is 6-0 in Panthers’ last six bowl games.
* Rebels are 3-0-1 ATS in their last four neutral site games.
* Panthers are 5-1 ATS in their last six games overall.
* Panthers are 4-0 ATS in their last four non-conference games.
ABOUT PITTSBURGH (6-6, 3-4 Big East): The Panthers – who will move to the Atlantic Coast Conference next season – will be appearing in a bowl game for the fifth consecutive year and have reason to feel optimistic about their chances after a 4-2 finish, including a near-upset of No. 1 Notre Dame. Graham has already solidified his place among the most productive running backs in school history as he enters his final college game with 3,271 yards rushing and 4,943 all-purpose yards – both good for second place all-time with the Panthers. The Panthers committed only eight turnovers this season – tied with Ohio for the fewest in FBS.
ABOUT MISSISSIPPI (6-6, 3-5 SEC): The Rebels are 21-12 all-time in bowl games and have won eight of their past nine in the postseason. Quarterback Bo Wallace, who paced the Rebels with eight rushing scores, leads a ground game that has scored 23 touchdowns and averaged 169.7 yards this season in Freeze’s spread attack. Wallace threw for 294 yards and five touchdowns in the team’s last game – a 41-24 victory over Mississippi State – but moving the ball may not come as easy since Pittsburgh’s defense ranks in the top 25 in several categories: total (16th), scoring (21st), pass (24th) and rush (tied for 24th).
Compass Bowl
Pitt is playing in this game for third year in row, which usually raises a red flag towards player apathy, but Panthers breathed sigh of relief when coach Chryst didn't bolt to Wisconsin; that would've been nightmare for Pitt program that is headed to ACC next year. Chryst is Pitt's 4th coach in last three years; they're 2-3 in last five bowls, scoring just 11.8 ppg. Ole Miss is in first bowl since '09; they figure to have crowd edge, since new coach Freeze has raised hopes in Oxford. Rebels won three of last four bowls, but last three were all Cotton Bowls- their last minor bowl was '02 win over Nebraska in Shreveport. Ole Miss is 8-3 vs spread this year, 4-1 as a favorite; all six teams that beat team are better than Pitt, whose QB Sunseri is son of former Alabama assistant coach who was at Tennessee this year, but Vols didn't play Ole Miss. Underdogs are 16-15 vs spread in bowls this season; under is 19-13. Big East teams are 3-1 in bowl games this year, 3-0 vs spread as underdogs. SEC teams are 4-3 SU/ATS; they've been favored in every game.
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