Hmm. This caught my eye.
This just in…SU 5-0 versus the spread (this season).
I love home underdogs. SU is +7 at home versus Pitt on Saturday.
One more reason to give SU the check is their 5-2 record versus the spread at home against Pitt since 1992.
Straight up, the ‘Cuse is 6-1 against Pitt in that same span (yeep). Man the 90s were rough on Pitt — but we all knew that.
Pitt is 3-1 ATS (against the spread) and 4-0 going over on points this season (go figure, the Citadel game wasn’t even on the books), so it’s not like Pitt has been a bad bet this season.
Of course, the issue of their defense getting sacks has been talked about, but it has also led to 13 turnovers and a turnover margin of -1.6, 5th best in the country. So the defense is helping the offense with a shorter field at points, and the offense while not producing huge point totals has not put the defense in a huge hole with field position. The Orange will be hoping for their first Big East win since that pasting they put on BC (heh) back in 2004 that allowed Pitt to go to the Fiesta Bowl.
Pitt offers the next opportunity for Syracuse (3-2, 0-0 Big East) to break its sorry streak of seven straight conference losses, not to mention the chance for the Orange to extend their first winning streak under Robinson.
No wonder Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt is wearing a worried look.
“We’re going to get everything Syracuse has to offer,” Wannstedt said. “They’re riding high right now, they’ve got a game at home, and they’re looking to make it four in a row. This will probably be as emotional a game as we have from an opponent’s standpoint.”
And it’s homecoming. I can’t believe the Domers scheduled homecoming for the Pitt game. Kind of insulting. That’s like scheduling Rutgers for homecoming this year — oh, wait.
I take classes there and I picked up a copy of their 2006 football preview (they were laying around all over campus for free).
Not only did they say “Pitt has the unenviable task of facing the Bulls in the Bulls homecoming game”, they also said “Pitt QB Tyler Palko will look to his main weapon, Tampa native Gregg Lee, to generate offense.”
Ummm yeah… the Bulls are kind of new to this football thing, so I guess they haven’t bothered to hire fact checkers for their publications.
Also, they haven’t hired someone to research easy teams to play for homecoming (they had WVU for homecoming last year hahaha).
Anyways, great blog. I just found it.
I’ll be at that South Florida game in November. LET’S GO PITT!!!