The No. 13 Pittsburgh Panthers can win 12 games in a season for just the second time in program history when they take on the No. 11 Michigan State Spartans in the 2021 Peach Bowl on Thursday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. With a win on Thursday, the Panthers (11-2) can join the Johnny Majors-coached 1976 Pitt squad that went 12-0 and was voted the national champion as the only 12-win teams in program history. This season's team won the ACC title, the program's first outright conference championship. Meanwhile the Spartans (10-2), who won just two games last season, already have completed the biggest turnaround in school history.
Kickoff is 7 p.m. ET. The Spartans are 3.5-point favorites in the latest Michigan State vs. Pitt odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is 55.5. Before making any Pittsburgh vs. Michigan State picks or Peach Bowl 2021 predictions, you need to see what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated a stunning profit of almost $3,600 for $100 players on its top-rated college football picks against the spread. It also enters the third week of the 2021-22 college football bowl season on a 43-30 run on all top-rated college football side picks. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now the model has dialed in on Michigan State vs. Pitt and revealed its coveted picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see all of the model's college football picks. Here are the college football odds and betting lines for Pitt vs. Michigan State:
- Michigan State vs. Pittsburgh spread: Spartans -3.5
- Michigan State vs. Pittsburgh over-under: 55.5 points
- Michigan State vs. Pittsburgh money line: Spartans -160, Panthers +140
- MSU: Jayden Reed ranks second in the Big Ten in all-purpose yards (130.8 per game)
- PITT: Jordan Addison led the country in receiving touchdowns (17)
Why Michigan State can cover
Michigan State will have the key pieces of its passing offense intact with quarterback Payton Thorne and receiver Jayden Reed. In his first season as the starter, Thorne ranks second in the Big Ten and 19th in the country in passing yards per completion (14.01). Meanwhile Reed leads the team with 53 catches for 946 yards (17.9 average) and eight touchdowns. He also ranks second in the Big Ten in all-purpose yards (130.8 per game).
In addition, the Spartans defense will face an inexperienced quarterback in Nick Patti. A 6-foot-3 junior from Hillsdale, N.J., Patti has appeared in 16 games in three seasons at Pitt but has started only one game, in 2019. He has not thrown more than one pass in a game since September.
Why Pittsburgh can cover
Though the Panthers are missing a huge piece in quarterback Kenny Pickett, Pitt faces a Michigan State team that will be without its best player, running back Kenneth Walker III. A transfer from Wake Forest, Walker ranks second in the country in rushing yards per game (136.3) and seventh in total touchdowns (19). For his efforts this season, he won the Doak Walker Award as the nation's best running back and was a unanimous first-team all-America selection.
In addition, the Panthers face a Michigan State defense that has struggled this season. The Spartans ranked last in the Big Ten and 117th in the country in total defense (455.9 yards per game). They especially struggled against the pass, giving up 337.7 yards per game through the air, the most in the nation.
How to make Michigan State vs. Pittsburgh picks
SportsLine's model is leaning under on the point total, projecting the teams to combine for 45 points. It also has an against-the-spread pick that cashes in almost 60 percent of simulations. You can see the model's picks only at SportsLine.
So who wins Michigan State vs. Pittsburgh? And which side of the spread hits almost 60 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Pittsburgh vs. Michigan State spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is on a 43-30 run on top-rated picks, and find out.
