Oddsmakers Now View West Virginia as Massive Underdog in Backyard Brawl

West Virginia has become even more of a home underdog for Saturday’s Backyard Brawl against Pitt with each passing day. Despite being the home team, few believe the Mountaineers have a chance to beat their arch rival.

The news of Jahiem White and Jaden Bray suffering season-ending injuries triggered oddsmakers to move the betting line more in Pitt’s direction. The Panthers, who opened the week as a -4.5 favorite, are now at -7.5 on FanDuel and -7 on DraftKings, which are pretty significant advantages in favor of a road team in a matchup between two similar Power Four programs.

WVU comes into the matchup after enduring an embarrassing upset loss to Ohio Bobcats. Including the win over Robert Morris, West Virginia sits at 1-1.

Takeaways: WVU’s Sobering Loss to Ohio Exposed Vulnerability of Team

Pitt comes into the matchup undefeated with wins over Duquesne and Central Michigan.

This year’s Backyard Brawl will feature some familiar faces. Pending a change at quarterback, redshirt junior Nicco Marchiol is set to start for WVU.

Marchiol faced Pitt in the 2023 edition of the brawl after an injury to starting quarterback Garrett Greene. He led the Mountaineers to a 17-6 win.

Sophomore quarterback Eli Holstein is returning to the matchup for Pitt. Last year, he diced up WVU for 301 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-34 loss for WVU.

The game marks WVU head coach Rich Rodriguez’s return to the Brawl after his previous tenure was upended by a 13-9 upset loss to the Panthers in 2007, ending WVU’s national title hopes.

Find more coverage of the WVU football program at WV Sports Now.

For a related story, Rich Rodriguez believes the Backyard Brawl is about more than just him.