Pitt Opens as Early Underdog in Backyard Brawl

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PITTSBURGH -- The 106th installment of the Backyard Brawl is still more than six months away but betting lines have already been released for one of the most compelling opening weekend matchups of the college football season. Brett McMurphy of Action Network reported that the Pitt Panthers are one-point underdogs to West Virginia.
Early college football lines via @FDSportsbook pic.twitter.com/KZdXaZDA0r
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) February 23, 2023
This coming fall, Pitt will face a surely hostile crowd at Milan Puskar Stadium as the series shifts from Pittsburgh to Morgantown, West Virginia. Like the Mountaineers, the Panthers will be breaking in a new quarterback and some new faces on both sides of the ball. Unlike last year, this game will take place in Week 3. Last season, Pitt and West Virginia kicked off their seasons with the Brawl.
The Panthers escaped with a 38-31 victory at Acrisure Stadium in last year's edition of the Brawl. M.J. Devonshire's 54-yard interception gave Pitt the go-head score and a redzone stop late in the fourth quarter sealed the victory, the Panthers' first over the Mountaineers since 2008.
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Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper. He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press. During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general. You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:
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