Pittsburgh Panthers 2022 Season Betting Guide

Behind star quarterback Kenny Pickett, the University of Pittsburgh had one of its best seasons ever in 2021 in winning the ACC title. However, with Pickett now with the Pittsburgh Steelers, will the Panthers take a step back in 2022? Probably. Here is the preview for your College Football Odds.

Odds to win national title: +25000
Odds to win ACC: +1000
Over/under win total: 8

Pittsburgh Panthers 2022 Season

Pittsburgh’s only two regular-season losses last year were a shocking home upset to Western Michigan and a shootout loss to ACC member Miami. Still, the Panthers reached the ACC title game and thumped Wake Forest 45-21. Pitt eclipsed 40 points for the eighth time last season.

ACC Player of the Year Kenny Pickett, who entered the game with 79 career touchdown passes — tied with Dan Marino (1979-82) for the most in school history — threw two against Wake Forest, establishing a new all-time Pitt mark. Pickett’s 42 TD passes set an ACC record, eclipsing the prior mark of 41 set by Clemson’s Deshaun Watson over 15 games in 2016.

It was the Panthers’ second ACC title game appearance, losing to Clemson in 2018. Pitt became the first Coastal Division team to win the ACC Championship since Virginia Tech in 2010. With the victory, Pitt improved to 11-2 on the season. It is the Panthers’ first 11-win campaign since 1981. Only one Pitt team has won more than 11 games, the 1976 national championship team that went 12-0.

With a chance to finish 12-2 by beating Michigan State in the Peach Bowl, the Panthers lost 31-21 but Pickett didn’t play as he prepared for the NFL Draft, where he was taken No. 20 overall by the NFL’s Pittsburgh team.

Superstar wideout Jordan Addison compiled seven receptions for 114 yards, his eighth 100-yard receiving game of the season and the 10th of his career. His eight 100-yard games were the most in a season by a Pitt receiver since Larry Fitzgerald had a school-record 10 in 2003. Addison’s seven catches gave him 100 on the season, breaking the Pitt record of 96 set by Maurice French in 2019. Addison finished with 1,593 receiving yards on the season, second at Pitt only to Fitzgerald’s 1,672 in 2003.

Addison is gone too, having transferred to USC. Overall last year, he compiled 1,593 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns on a Pitt-record 100 receptions (15.9 avg.) in 14 contests. He scored 18 total TDs (one by rush). His receiving yardage and touchdown catches ranked second in Pitt season annals, trailing only Fitzgerald (1,672 yards and 22 TDs in 2003). Addison won the prestigious Biletnikoff Award as college football’s outstanding receiver. He was Pitt’s third winner of the Biletnikoff, joining Antonio Bryant (2000) and Fitzgerald (2003).

The new starting QB should be USC transfer Kedon Slovis, a former Pac-12 Freshman of the Year. In 2021, following USC’s firing of Clay Helton, Slovis’ role was affected by injuries and the rise of freshman QB Jaxson Dart, who split time with Slovis toward the end of the season. Slovis finished the year with 2,153 passing yards and 11 touchdowns. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi personally recruited Slovis, who called his selection of Pittsburgh a “no-brainer.”

“I play my own game. I’m not Kenny Pickett. At the end of the day, this is a different team than it was last year and hopefully looking to build off of what he accomplished last year. And what that team last year accomplished,” Slovis said.

The offense also lost coordinator Mark Whipple, who migrated to Nebraska after helping the Panthers rank No. 3 nationally in scoring (41.4 points) and No. 8 in total offense (486.6 yards). Longtime NCAA and NFL coaching vet Frank Cignetti Jr., a run-first devotee, returns to the coordinator role he held in 2009-10. Cignetti likely will run plenty behind a line that returns five starters in tackles Gabe Houy and Carter Warren, guards Jake Kradel and Marcus Minor and center Owen Drexel.

After two years of averaging under 120 yards per game on the ground, Pitt jumped up to 149 yards a contest in 2021. The trio of Israel Abanikanda, Vincent Davis, and Rodney Hammond split carries fairly evenly last season and all return.

Pitt opens at home on Sept. 1 vs. old Big East rival West Virginia and also has a tough non-conference home game vs. Tennessee on Sept. 10.