Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia odds, spread, line: 2022 college football picks, Week 1 predictions

College Football Power Index picks, prediction for Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia

For the first time in a decade, the Backyard Brawl is back as Pittsburgh and West Virginia renew their rivalry in Week 1 of the college football schedule.

Pitt comes in as defending ACC champions while West Virginia hopes to make some noise in the Big 12, but both teams have changed a lot during the offseason.

What do the experts think of the matchup between the Panthers and the Mountaineers? Let's see how the ESPN computer predicted the game.

Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia football prediction

Football Power Index is siding with Pittsburgh, which has a 78.1 percent chance of victory against the Mountaineers in the opener.

By contrast, West Virginia has a 21.9 percent chance to upset its rival.

The bookmakers are siding with Pitt, which comes into the game as a slight 7.5 point favorite over the Mountaineers on Saturday.

FPI rates Pittsburgh as the No. 19 team in its initial college football rankings, good for third in the ACC behind leader Clemson and runner-up Miami.

Pitt is projected to win 8.8 games by the ESPN computer, with a 1.5 percent shot at making the College Football Playoff.

West Virginia came in at No. 51 in the first FPI football rankings, second to last in the Big 12 ahead of Kansas, projected to win 5.1 games on the year.

College Football Power Index

ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 10,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.

College football rankings

According to AP Top 25 poll

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Georgia
4. Clemson
5. Notre Dame
6. Texas A&M
7. Utah
8. Michigan
9. Oklahoma
10. Baylor
11. Oregon
12. Oklahoma State
13. NC State
14. USC
15. Michigan State
16. Miami
17. Pittsburgh
18. Wisconsin
19. Arkansas
20. Kentucky
21. Ole Miss
22. Wake Forest
23. Cincinnati
24. Houston
25. BYU

---

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Rankings | Facebook