Northcoast
Marquee GOM - Miami -3.5
Wunderdog
5 Units Pittsburgh +3.5
KELSO
50 Units Pittsburgh Panthers +3.5
20 Units Milwaukee Brewers -159
20 Units Arizona Diamondbacks -115
10 Unit Parlay Milwaukee/Arizona
15 Units Texas Rangers -125
KIKI SPORTS
2 Units Miami Fla -4
1 Unit San Diego -106
1 Unit Texas -125
Gold Medal Club
25* Pittsburgh Panthers
National Sports Service
4* Miami -3.5 o
3* Cleveland -135
Wayne Root
Millionaire - Pittsburgh
Payne Sports
8 Units Miami Under 50
Must Win Sports
5 Units Miami
Jeff Benton
20 DIME PITTSBURGH
5 DIME Pitt-Miami Fla. UNDER
Pittsburgh
I’m hardly the world’s biggest Dave Wannstedt fan – like with his old pal Norv Turner (the two were Cowboys coordinators under Jimmy Johnson), it’s never easy to put money on a Wannstedt-coached teams.
That said, who is Miami to be laying points on the road in a nationally televiaed game against an opponent that was on the fringe of the preseason Top 25? The ‘Canes are 10-18 ATS as a favorite since Randy Shannon took over as coach in 2007, and they’ve cashed in just two of their last seven as a road chalk.
The last time Miami hit the highway was 10 days ago when it went to Ohio State and lost 36-24 as an eight-point underdog. No, I’m not saying Pitt is on the level of the Buckeyes – obviously, they’re not. But that doesn’t mean you gloss over the fact that Miami gave up 414 yards of total offense (including letting Terrelle Pryor throw for 233 yards, to go with 113 rushing yards).
Meanwhile, the ‘Canes’ offense got two of its touchdowns on special teams, while the third came in the fourth quarter when Ohio State was playing soft defenisively with a 36-17 lead. Most disturbingly, QB Jacory Harris froze under the bright lights in Columbs, getting picked off four times.
As for Pitt, you may recall that I went against the Panthers on Sept. 2 when they played at Utah. The Panthers fell 27-24 in overtime (pushing as a three-point underdog), but they showed me a lot in rallying from a 24-13 deficit midway through the fourth quarter just to get to overtime. Plus, Utah is a legit Top 20 team that has a 19-game home winning streak. What made Pitt’s performance in Salt Lake City even more impressive was that it had a chance to win despite the fact electrifying running back Dion Lewis never got going (25 carries, 75 yards), and it was the first game for new QB Tino Sunseri.
While Miami has struggled in the role of road favorite, Pitt has been a moneymaker as a home underdog (9-4 ATS since 2007). Additionally, the Panthers have covered in seven of their last nine home games against Division I-A foes, and the Hurricanes are in additional ATS slumps of 2-5 against the Big East teams and 3-13 after a bye week.
Bottom line: The oddsmakers aren’t giving Pitt its due respect. Although the Panthers can’t match Miami athlete-for-athlete, they’re the much more disciplined team. And given Miami’s recent struggles in the road favorite role, plus the unpredictable play of QB Harris, the only way to look is to the motivated home pup.
Miami-Pitt Under
If I’m right about Pitt winning (or at least covering) this game, then it will have to do it with a strong defense and a ball-control offense, which would put us on track for a low-scoring contest. I look for the Panthers to put the ball in the hands of their best player (RB Lewis) early and often and put their young QB in high-percentage passing situations.
At the same time, because Harris is coming off such a shaky performance against Ohio State (and being back in a hostile environment again), I can’t imagine Miami coach Shannon will be taking many chances down the field (at least early in this contest.
Six of the last seven meetings between these former conference rivals have stayed under the total (all six less than 50 combined points), and Miami is on “under” runs of 10-4 in marquee Thursday games, 37-16 in non-conferlnce contests and 7-0 when facing the Big East. Pitt has stayed low in 10 of its last 14 home games and 11 of 16 following a bye.
Finally, we’ve had three Thursday night contests the last three weeks – and remember, the total is always inflated in these midweek TV games – and all three have stayed under with combined point totals of 49, 23 and 31 points.
Steam On Line Guaranteed Picks
COLLEGE FOOTBALL THURSDAY NIGHT LIGHTS OUT TONIGHT - BOMB
Pittsburgh +3.5
INSIDE LATE STEAM MLB BONUS WINNER
NY Yankees w/Sabathia -141
INSIDE LATE STEAM MLB INFO WINNER
Milwaukee w/Gallardo -159
Steam On Line Guaranteed Selections
COLLEGE FOOTBALL THURSDAY NIGHT LIGHTS OUT TONIGHT - BOMB
Pittsburgh +3.5
INSIDE LATE STEAM MLB BONUS WINNER
NY Yankees w/Sabathia -141
INSIDE LATE STEAM MLB INFO WINNER
Milwaukee w/Gallardo -159
NSA
20* Pitt +4
20* Yankees Under 8
10* Pitt Under 50
10* Dodgers Under 6.5
10* San Fran +105
Ben Burns
10* GOM Pitt Panthers
Sean Higgs
5* Miami
Gregg Price
5* Pitt Panthers