Before Betting on West Virginia vs Pittsburgh Week 1
West Virginia and Pittsburgh are neighbors who haven’t met since 2011, but that changes in Thursday night’s season opener as the teams rekindle their old Backyard Brawl rivalry. WVU had won three straight in the series before it wrapped up over a decade ago.
The other reunion in the West Virginia vs Pittsburgh week 1 matchup is a couple of USC quarterbacks from the 2019 Trojans team. J.T. Daniels has bounced around from being named a true freshman starter at Southern Cal, winning a National Championship at Georgia as a backup, and now looking to finally stay healthy for one last NFL resume builder. He’s got the offensive coordinator to do so, as Graham Harrell was calling the plays for Daniels at USC in 2019.
Kedon Slovis is another former Trojan QB starting in the West Virginia vs Pittsburgh week 1 matchup, looking to following in the footsteps of Kenny Pickett who was Pittsburgh’s signal caller a year ago. Pickett parlayed a 4,319 yard, 42 TD season into being the #20 pick in the NFL draft, staying in the state with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Slovis looked NFL caliber with USC in 2019 and 2020 before a down year in 2021, but he’s got experience and gets to run an offense that was top five in yards gained last season.
Pittsburgh was 11-3 last year and won the ACC, and they’ve got seven starters back from a rush defense that was sixth in the country giving up just 91. 2 ypg. West Virginia needs a big start to the 2022
| Offshore Sportsbook | Moneyline | Total | Point Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| BetOnline | WVU (+250) | Pitt (-300) | 51.5 | WVU +7.5 (-108) | Pitt -7.5 (-112) |
| Bovada | WVU (+240) | Pitt (-290) | 52 | WVU +7.5 (-110) | Pitt -7.5 (-110) |
| BetUS | WVU (+250) | Pitt (-300) | 52 | WVU +7.5 (-110) | Pitt -7.5 (-110) |
| SportsBetting.ag | WVU (+250) | Pitt (-300) | 51.5 | WVU +7.5 (-108) | Pitt -7.5 (-112) |
| Pinnacle | WVU (+252) | Pitt (-311) | 52 | WVU +7.5 (-107) | Pitt -7.5 (-107) |
| MyBookie | WVU (+222) | Pitt (-284) | 51 | WVU +7 (-110) | Pitt -7 (-110) |
7.5 is a big number to cover in the West Virginia vs Pittsburgh week1 matchup especially with a new QB – but both teams are facing that situation. Daniels has the hype and one last chance to prove himself in Morgantown, but Slovis has a legitimate shot at coming close to Pickett’s numbers from a year ago in this offense. Pittsburgh’s defense becomes the X-factor.
