Pitt Opens as Underdogs vs. Cincinnati

The Pitt Panthers open as underdogs vs. Cincinnati in the River City Rivalry.

Cincinnati Bearcats Corey Kiner (21) gets tackled by Pittsburgh Panthers Javon McIntyre (7) and Phillip O'Brien Jr. (5) during the first half at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA on September 9, 2023 / Michael Longo/For USA Today Network / USA TODAY NETWORK

PITTSBURGH -- The Pitt Panthers come into their Week 2 matchup against Cincinnati on the road as underdogs in the River City Rivarly.

Cincinnati are -2.5 point favorites over Pitt, according to FanDuel. To win this bet on Cincinnati, they would need to beat Pitt by at least three points. To win the bet on Pitt, they would have to win the game, or lose the game to Cincinnati by two points on less.

The Bearcats are also -137 and the Panthers are +114 to win for the money line, a wager on the outcome of the game. A bettor would need to place a $137 wager just to win a $100 on the Bearcats, if they come out victorious, and a $100 wager on the Panthers to win would earn the bettor $114.

The over/under is at 59.5 points with -110 odds, meaning a bettor would need to make a wager of $110 to win an extra $100 if they are right about both teams scoring more or less than 59.5 total points in the game.

Pitt lost to Cincinnati last season at Acrisure Stadium, a 27-21 defeat in Week 2. Quarterback Phil Jurkovec had a terrible game for Pitt in the defeat, completing just 10-of-32 passes, 31.3%, startng a bad trend for the rest of his season.

Both teams had awful 2023 seasons, finishing 3-9 overall. Pitt had the worst offense in the ACC in many metrics and Cincinnati won just one game in the Big 12 in their first season in the conference and under head coach Scott Satterfield.

Pitt defeated Kent State in a 55-24 blowout to start their season, while Cincinnati defeated Towson 38-20 in their first game of 2024, with both teams playing at home.

The Panthers and Bearcats have faced off 13 times in the all-time series, including eight consecutive years from 2005-12, when both teams played in the Big East.

Pitt won the first three matchups, but Cincinnati won four of the last five matchups in conference play, including the de facto Big East Championship in 2009, coming back from 31-10 late in the second quarter at Heinz Field to win 45-44.

The Panthers are 3-2 all-time on the road vs. the Bearcats, with wins in 1922, 2006 and 2010 and losses in 2008 and 2012.

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