Pitt opens as big favorite against Penn State

This news has been out there for a while but with the release of the Pitt script uniforms this week, a lot of things have sort of been put on hold.

But ICYMI, Vegas apparently likes Pitt in their upcoming game against Penn State. By a lot.

The Panthers were picked as a far-too-early nine-point favorite against the Nittany Lions. Granted, Penn State isn't supposed to be a great team and Pitt of course gets the game at home, but ... well, that seems like a lot.

For another thing, I'm not real thrilled with that early line. You're kidding yourself if you don't think that will be a point of motivation for the Nittany Lions over the summer. Obviously, it will fluctuate some back and forth before the game, but this slipping out into the news just isn't a great thing for Pitt in my opinion. The last thing they need is an ego trip before such an important game.

Even beyond that, as I said, nine just seems like too much. Pitt returns quarterback Nathan Peterman, but doesn't have a great backup with much experience behind him. They've also lost their best offensive weapon from last year in wide receiver Tyler Boyd and have questions in their front seven - not to mention a secondary that was sort of up and down in 2015. I'm not sure Pitt should be nine-point favorites against many Power 5 teams, let alone in a huge rivalry game.

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