Two former Big East rivals clash in a standalone game on ESPN on Thursday night.

Pittsburgh (2-0) is a 10.5-point home favorite over Syracuse, with the Over/Under sitting at 51.5 points at bet365 Sportsbook.

Syracuse dropped its ACC opener to California in Week 2, while Pitt put together a throwback performance in a 12-7 victory on the road at UCF.

The ACC was a mess last year, but Pitt was one of the conference’s pleasant surprises. A late-season loss to Miami kept the Panthers from going to the title game, but there was a lot to like about the direction of the program.

And while the Panthers aren’t projected to contend with the likes of Miami, SMU, or Louisville in the ACC, they won’t be a pushover, either. Whether that will be enough to improve on their eight-win campaign a year ago will largely be determined by the development of quarterback Mason Heintschel.

Heintschel’s numbers last season don’t pop, but he made the most of the situation as a true freshman, especially since Pitt struggled to get much going on the ground to alleviate some of the pressure on their young QB.

Narduzzi addressed that area of concern in the offseason, which should help bring some balance to the Pitt attack.

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Syracuse’s offense is a different story. Things looked OK last season until Steve Angeli went down with an injury, but the start to 2026 has been spotty at best. Angeli will get the start again on Thursday, but he’ll be on a short leash after throwing three picks, including the back-breaker, in the Orange’s loss to Cal last weekend.

This is a wide spread to play on a short week, but there are just so many questions surrounding both sides of the ball for Syracuse, while Pitt seems to have their house in order.

Back the Panthers to rout their old rival on Thursday night.

The Play: Pitt -10.5 points (-110, bet365)

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Michael Leboff is a long-suffering Islanders fan, but a long-profiting sports bettor with 10 years of experience in the gambling industry. He loves using game theory to help punters win bracket pools, find long shots, and learn how to beat the market in mainstream and niche sports.