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Pitt vs West Virginia Picks, Predictions & Betting Lines (Sep. 13)

Chris Wassel

By Chris Wassel in College Football

Published:


Rich Rodriguez tries to keep The Backyard Brawl close as West Virginia entertains Pitt. At SBD, we offer our picks for the rivalry game.
Sep 6, 2025; Athens, Ohio, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Rich Rodriguez talks with West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Jaylen Henderson (13) during the fourth quarter against the Ohio Bobcats at Peden Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images
  • Pittsburgh travels to Morgantown to take on West Virginia in Week 3 college football action!
  • Currently, the Pitt vs West Virginia odds favor the Panthers by 7.5 points
  • Read below for Pitt vs West Virginia picks, predictions, and betting lines

This game asks the question: is this a trap game for Pitt? The Panthers and Mountaineers are 2-0 and 1-1, respectively. Unfortunately for West Virginia, Rich Rodriguez goes into “The Backyard Brawl” with one really significant absence.

Pittsburgh is now more than a touchdown favorite with the over/under set at 55.5 points, according to DraftKings Sportsbook. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN and streamed on ESPN Unlimited. Kickoff will be scheduled just after 3:30 p.m. ET.

Pitt vs West Virginia Betting Lines

Pittsburgh is favored by 7.5 points with a -298 moneyline, implying an almost 75% (74.97) win probability for the Panthers. West Virginia is now +240 underdogs with a 29.41% chance of experiencing victory.

The total is set at 55.5 points, with even juice on the Over and Under.

TeamSpreadMoneylineTotal
Pitt-7.5 (-108)-298Over 55.5 (-110)
West Virginia+7.5 (-112)+240Under 55.5 (-110)

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Pitt vs West Virginia Picks:

Now, when spreads move like they did, something pretty important happened. This game opened around 4.5 points. Unfortunately for West Virginia, the Mountaineers lost their star running back. Jaheim White sustained a season-ending knee injury in the loss to Ohio a week ago. When he got hurt, West Virginia was just not the same team. The void at running back was a concern all the back before the season started.

On the bright side, there will be more of these rivalry games in the future.

The question now is, can the outright venom towards Pitt carry the Mountaineers? Alright, the real question may be, can they keep this game within double digits? The Pitt offense has piled up 106 points but has not faced a team on the road yet. The Panthers may want to let Eli Holstein air the ball out instead of scrambling.

I am forgoing the risk and looking at a Pitt cover with West Virginia scoring 23 points or less. Injuries to too many core players ultimately doom West Virginia and Rich Rodriguez’s shot at “redemption”.

Saturday CFB Picks:

  • Pittsburgh -7.5 Spread (-108) and West Virginia Under 23.5 (-110)

Pitt vs West Virginia Predictions

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Now, after a few weeks, it seems like we are getting our legs under us. There were some awful results. Anyway, West Virginia will be without Jalen Bray (their top Wide Receiver). With plenty of questions at the Quarterback position, West Virginia will have a tough time scoring points. The same cannot be said for Pittsburgh. Eli Holstein, again, has a bevy of receivers and running backs to toss the ball to.

For Pitt, the best offense may be to speed things up even more. If the Panthers want to take the crowd out of the game, scoring early and often may be the answer. Keep in mind, the game total has come down to 55.5. Before the Mountaineer injuries, that total was 58.5. Then again, the spread was several points lower, too. Making the West Virginia passing game beat you could lead to more Pitt points.

Rich Rodriguez is between a rock and a hard place. Pitt, arguably, has a better run defense than in previous years. West Virginia will have to try to keep running the ball almost to a fault. However, the Mountaineer defense needs the offense to control the clock. Anything less spells doom.

Pitt now has +1400 odds to make the College Football Playoff. More than likely, those numbers will change once conference play starts. West Virginia has too much inexperience (QB, RB, offensive line, etc.) to challenge Pitt late unless something dramatic happens early.

Pitt vs West Virginia Head-to-Head

The programs have indeed met for a long, long time. Here are how the last four went:

  • September 14th, 2024: Pitt 38, West Virginia 34
  • September 16th, 2023: West Virginia 17, Pitt 6
  • September 1st, 2022: Pitt 38, West Virginia 31
  • November 25th, 2011: West Virginia 21 Pitt 20

Fortunately, we will see more of these matchups after that 11-year hiatus.

Expect Pitt to make West Virginia go uphill a lot. Can the Mountaineers find a way?

Chris Wassel
Chris Wassel

Sports Writer

A journalist veteran for over two decades, Chris has taught the gamut of fantasy hockey sports online from injuries to news to prospects, and more. He has bet on several sports and written sports betting articles about the NBA, MLB, NCAA football, the NFL, and NHL for USA Today.

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