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Over the weekend, it was announced that Pitt would face Houston in the Armed Forces Bowl game. There's still nearly a month until the game is played, but the early lines have Pitt as the favorite in the game.
Vegas Insider had the game opening up at three points in the Panthers' favor. The line dropped slightly to 2 1/2 at some point, but as of Tuesday night, it was back up to three.
With all due respect to the fine Pitt fans in Texas and those that will be making the trip, the Panthers will be at a significant disadvantage as Houston should have a virtual home game playing in its own state. So when you consider that, on a more neutral field, Pitt would likely be an even bigger favorite.
That sounds about right to me since the Panthers have more dynamic players on offense in James Conner and Tyler Boyd, have faced tougher competition, and have a (albeit, slightly) more impressive resume, owning wins over bowl teams like Miami, Boston College, and Virginia Tech. Houston, meanwhile, has only one win over a bowl team - Memphis.
As I wrote after the announcement, Houston is a team that can give Pitt some problems. But as a P5 team with a similar record, the Panthers probably should be the favorites heading into this game.
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