$100 Match Bonus from Bodog!
Open an new account with Bodog and deposit $100 or more for a $100 match bonus!

BetUS $500 Match Bonus
Sign up for a new account with BetUS and deposit $500 or more to get a $500 match bonus.

2009 Pittsburgh College Football Predictions

Written by Jimmy Boyd on July 2, 2009

pitt 7209 Head coach Dave Wannstedt was finally able to take the Pitt Panthers to a bowl game in his fourth season on the job. He also led the program to its first nine-win campaign in 26 years. Still, Wannstedt wants a Big East title. Find out if he has a team capable of bringing one home to Pittsburgh in this 2009 college football betting preview. Pittsburgh is listed at +7500 to win the 2009 BCS Championship.

Bet your NCAA Football Picks at BetUS and receive a special $500 match bonus!

Offense – The Pittsburgh fan base has been calling for now former offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh’s head each of the last couple seasons. Those fans will finally get their wish as Cavanaugh decided to leave campus for a job with the New York Jets. Frank Cignetti has taken over as offensive coordinator but he won’t have the same of having All-American running back LeSean McCoy in the backfield as Cavanaugh did.

The quarterback position has to be better for Pittsburgh to contend for a league title. Last year’s starter Bill Stull and 2007 signal caller Pat Bostick have thrown just 19 touchdown strikes the last two seasons while getting picked off 27 times. Stull threw for 2,356 yards last season and played great in stretches, but at the end of the day, he has to be more consistent. Expect a big season out of wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin who boasted a 22.4 yards per catch average during his freshman campaign. A pair of talented freshman running backs in Dion Lewis and Chris Burns have some big shoes to fill as they try to make up for the 1,885 yards lost now that last year’s top three rushers are gone. Lewis looks to be the better of the two based on his performance this spring. The offensive line returns three starters and two of Wannstedt’s best line recruits during his tenure, Lucas Nix and Chris Jacobson, step in to take the other two spots.

Defense – It all starts up front for the Panthers with a pair of standout defensive ends in Greg Romeus and Jabaal Sheard. The duo lived in the backfield, combining for 13 sacks and 26 tackles for loss in 2008. Romeus proved to be a force in special teams as well with three blocked extra points and Sheard showed his athletic ability and timing with seven pass deflections. Senior defensive tackle Mick Williams will man the interior along with Myles Caragein. The secondary should once again be among the best in the league with three of four starters returning. All-Big East corner Aaron Berry leads the unit. At linebacker, the coaching staff expects big things from Greg Williams. He came up with 47 tackles and 6.5 stops for loss last season. He could double those numbers in 2009.

Prediction: 4th Big East – Anything short of a second straight bowl bid and eight victories will be an underachieving season for Pitt when you look at the schedule. With that said, winning the Big East appears like a daunting task without McCoy in the backfield and if the lackluster quarterback play. Pittsburgh is listed at +250 to win the Big East.

Beat the college football odds this season with Jimmy Boyd’s expert football picks!

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in: