The Pittsburgh Panthers aim to improve to 3-0 when they host the Syracuse Orange in an ACC showdown on Thursday night at Acrisure Stadium. The Orange are looking to get back on track following a 21-18 loss to Cal last week, while the Panthers come in off a tight 12-7 victory against UCF. The Syracuse offense had its moments in the loss to Cal, but the Orange turned the ball over three times and missed a potential tying field goal with less than two minutes left.
Both teams cruised in Week 1, with Pitt getting a 59-14 victory against Miami (Ohio) while Syracuse routed New Hampshire 66-3. DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Panthers as 10.5-point home favorites for the 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff, and the Over/Under for total points is 51.5.
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It is on a 33-21 run on top-rated CFB money-line picks on betting sites since the 2024 season, and it has been upgraded for the 2026 season to better factor in the transfer portal. Anybody following its picks on college football betting sites could have seen strong returns. These teams started playing each other in 1916 and have faced off every year since 1955, with the Panthers leading the all-time series 45-33-3.
Pitt has won 20 of the past 24 games, with one loss in double overtime and another by one point. Pitt won the most recent meeting 30-13 at Syracuse last October in a penalty-filled game that saw the Panthers come away with three takeaways. Current Panthers starter Mason Heintschel threw for 140 yards with an interception and rushed for 23 yards in that game as a freshman.
This season, Heintschel has completed 70% of his passes for 665 yards, with seven TD passes and no interceptions. Receivers Cataurus Hicks and Censere Lee are both over 100 receiving yards across the first two games, and they are among the seven different pass-catchers who have scored a touchdown. Freshman running back Damon Ferguson rushed for 59 yards and the team's lone score against the Golden Knights.
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