3* NCAAF *Friday Night Feast* on Pittsburgh -3.5

Pittsburgh vs. Connecticut, 11/09/2012 20:00 EDT, Score: 17 - 24

Point Spread: -3½/-105 Pittsburgh

Sportsbook: 5Dimes

Result: Loss

3* NCAAF *Friday Night Feast* on Pittsburgh -3.5
Since opening the season with a pair of duds against Youngstown State and Cincinnati, the Panthers have been a quality investment. They are 5-1-1 against the spread in their last seven games and easily covered as a 16.5-point underdog at Notre Dame last week. With that cover, the Panthers improved to 4-0 ATS in their last 4 November contests.

Connecticut has gone the other way since winning three of its first five. It has lost each of its last four games by an average of 14.0 points and is 0-5-1 ATS in its last six games.

The fact Pitt checks in off a straight up loss bodes well for backers. That’s because it is 17-5 ATS in its last 22 games following a defeat. It is also on a 3-0-1 ATS run following a game in which it covered the number.

It is also worth noting that the Panthers are 4-1-1 ATS in their last six road games, 9-1-2 ATS in their last 12 games versus a team with a losing record, 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine Friday games and 19-7-1 ATS in their last 27 conference games.

Connecticut, meanwhile, is 0-4-1 ATS in its last five conference games and 0-4-2 ATS in its last six versus a team with a losing record.

Connecticut is one of the worst offensive teams in the nation. It ranks 120th in scoring with just 16.6 points per game. It is 113th in total offense with 317.9 yards per game.

The Huskies likely won’t get anything easy against a respectable Pittsburgh stop unit that ranks 37th in total defense (360.1 yards allowed per game) and 39th in scoring defense (22.6 points allowed per game). Lay the points.