Against the Odds: As expected, Pitt a heavy underdog to Penn State

Pitt faces Penn State on Saturday and, as expected, the Panthers will enter the game as a big underdog.

The line opened with the Nittany Lions as 17 1/2-point favorites and, as of Monday, that number was only down slightly to 17.

Hard to argue with that number, really. As I wrote in the preview, the line was only about a touchdown or so last year and Pitt ended up on the wrong end of a 51-6 blowout. I don’t think things will be quite that bad again but that game proved that the idea of it being close simply because it’s a rivalry game sort of went out the window the past two years. Losing this game by an even bigger margin than 17 points is entirely possible.

If Pitt plays lights out on defense, I could see the margin being less than that. But, as we’ve seen, a lopsided score in this series is certainly not a reach, given the circumstances.

What do you think about this week’s line?

Be sure to join Cardiac Hill’s Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @PittPantherBlog for our regular updates on Pitt athletics. Follow the author and founder/editor @AnsonWhaley.