Now with a magic number of two in its quest for its first-ever Big East Conference title, 9-1 Rutgers visits 4-6 Pittsburgh Saturday afternoon (noon ET, ESPN2).

The 9-1 Knights, 5-0 in Big East play and 5-0 on the road, were early two-point dogs vs. the Panthers, who need to win their last two games to become bowl-eligible.



View Rutgers vs Pittsburgh Odds and Stats.

Betting Line: Bettors going with the Panthers in this game found them listed as 2-point favorites on the betting line at Sportsbook earlier in the week.

Power Rankings / Prediction: The Panthers sit at No. 27 in the current NCAAF Power Rankings here at OddsShark, while the Scarlet Knights are at No. 42 on that chart. Math models have concluded that the Scarlet Knights will win this game 34-27.



How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Pittsburgh's No. 72-ranked offense (27.5 PPG) against a Scarlet Knights defense that ranks No. 4 at 12.4 PPG. The Panthers passing attack has averaged 271.8 yards per game, more than the Scarlet Knights give up through the air (204.6 YPG on average).

In comparing defenses, the Scarlet Knights own the league's No. 5-rated front 7 in terms of stopping the run, allowing 77 yards per game when on the road. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, rates No. 51 this week in generating rushing yards at home.

Last time out for Rutgers, they were a 10-3 Sportsbook as they battled Cincinnati on the road. Rutgers covered in the match as a 6.5-point underdog, while 13 combined points moved the game UNDER for totals bettors. Savon Huggins ran through the Cincinnati defense for 179 yards in Rutgers's last game, handing the Bearcats a 10-3 setback on Saturday at Nippert Stadium.

Pittsburgh lost its last outing, a 24-17 result against Connecticut on November 9. Pittsburgh failed to cover in that game as a 3.5-point favorite, while the 41 combined points took the game UNDER the total. Tino Sunseri's 302-yard performance through the air wasn't enough last time out, as Connecticut earned a 24-17 win over Pittsburgh on Friday at Rentschler Field.


Rutgers Scarlet Knights Trends:
When playing in November are 5-5
When playing on grass are 6-4
After outgaining opponent are 8-2
When playing within the conference are 7-3

Pittsburgh Panthers Trends:
When playing in November are 3-7
When playing on grass are 5-5
After outgaining opponent are 3-7
When playing within the conference are 4-6

A few Scarlet Knights at Panthers trends to consider:
Rutgers is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games on the road
Rutgers is 10-1 SU in its last 11 games
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Rutgers's last 11 games on the road
Rutgers is 5-2 SU in its last 7 games when playing Pittsburgh
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Pittsburgh's last 6 games when playing Rutgers
Pittsburgh is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Rutgers
Pittsburgh is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games
Pittsburgh is 2-5 SU in its last 7 games when playing Rutgers


Next up:
Rutgers home to Louisville, Thursday, November 29
Pittsburgh at South Florida, Saturday, December 1