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The West Virginia Mountaineers (1-1) will host the Pittsburgh Panthers (2-0) in the "Backyard Brawl" during the Week 3 college football schedule on Saturday, in a matchup that used to be a major Big East rivalry before realignment. West Virginia is coming off a 17-10 loss to Ohio on Saturday after a 45-3 win over Robert Morris in its opener. Pittsburgh is coming off a 45-17 victory over Central Michigan after defeating Duquesne, 61-9, in its opener. 

Kickoff from Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown, West Virginia, is set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday on ESPN. Pittsburgh is a 7.5-point favorite in the latest West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 55.5. Before making any Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia picks, make sure you check out the picks from the SportsLine Projection Model. 

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The model simulates every FBS game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a betting profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college spread football picks, and is a profitable 31-19 combined on money-line and over/under college football picks since the beginning of 2024. Anybody following its college football betting picks at sportsbooks and on betting sites could have seen strong returns.

Where to watch Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia on Saturday

When: Saturday, Sept. 13
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Follow along: CBS Sports App

West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh betting preview

Odds: Pittsburgh -7.5, over/under of 55.5

Pittsburgh was favored by at least three scores in each of its first two games, and the Panthers covered the spread in both contests. Sophomore quarterback Eli Holstein has thrown for 519 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions this season. Holstein led Pittsburgh to a 7-1 record as a freshman in the games he started and finished last year before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. Desmond Reid, who led the Panthers with 966 rushing yards last season, has 112 yards on 6.2 yards per carry this season as he hasn't been needed much in one-sided opening contests.

Meanwhile, West Virginia is 1-1 in part two of the Rich Rodriguez era in West Virginia. Rodriguez, who went 60-26 in seven years at West Virginia before becoming the head coach at Michigan, returned this year to Morgantown after leading Jackson State to back-to-back 9-4 seasons. West Virginia has allowed just 20 points over its first two games, and it will need another strong defensive performance to challenge Pittsburgh. West Virginia is 1-1 against the spread this season.

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Model's Pittsburgh vs. West Virginia predictions, picks

The model projects West Virginia to have a strong enough showing at home to cover the number. Last week's loss came on the road, and the Mountaineers dominated at home in their 45-3 win over Robert Morris in the opener. Even in a 6-7 season last year, West Virginia went 3-1 at home against unranked opponents, and the Mountaineers went 5-1 at home against unranked opponents in 2023. West Virginia defeated Pittsburgh, 17-6, in Morgantown in 2023. West Virginia has also either won or pushed a 7-point spread in each of their last three meetings since 2022, which came after an 11-year hiatus of the programs going head-to-head. The model projects West Virginia to cover the spread in 58% of simulations. 

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