Pitt vs. UMass: Open Gamethread

Pitt and UMass are set to square off at Heinz Field on Saturday in a game that will open both teams’ seasons and pit Pitt offensive coordinator Mark Whipple against the team he coached from 1998 to 2003 and from 2014 to 2018 prior to his arrival in Pittsburgh.

The Panthers are 38-point favorites to beat the Minutemen, and there’s good reason for that, as the visitors went 0-4 in 2020, giving up 40.3 points per game and scored just 3.0 points per game. However, the UMass team lining up across Pitt will not be the same one that went winless last season, as the team added 12 transfers in the offseason, including former Colorado quarterback Tyler Lytle, former North Carolina defensive backs Bryce Watts and Bryson Richardson, and former Michigan offensive tackle Willie Allen. And given that significant infusion of Power Five talent, the Minutemen could prove to be a tougher out than Vegas has given them credit for.

The game will kick off at 4 p.m. ET and air on the ACC Network. Join the Cardiac Hill community here to comment during the game.