Pitt vs. Georgia Tech: Halloween Night on ESPN2 as the Panthers Try to Stop a Three-Game Skid

Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech meet at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday at Acrisure Stadium, and the game will air nationally on ESPN2. SportsNet Pittsburgh lists Fubo, DIRECTV and ESPN+ as streaming options for viewers without cable.

The Halloween kickoff is also a first for the Panthers this season. Sports Illustrated noted that it is Pitt's first weekend prime-time start of the year, after the program's last three ACC games kicked off at noon. Pitt has had the better of this series lately. The Panthers have won five of the last six meetings, including a 42-28 win at then-No. 22 Georgia Tech last November, when they led 28-0 in the second quarter.

Both teams come in struggling. Pitt opened 5-0 but has lost three straight, and National Football Post reports that Holden Geriner and Corey Dailey have each thrown two interceptions during the skid while filling in for Heintschel at quarterback. Pat Narduzzi acknowledged the conference title is probably out of reach and kept his focus narrow: "It's one game at a time and we're worried about one team and it's Georgia Tech." The backfield is also a question. Pittsburgh Sports Now reported that running backs Ja'Kyrian "Boosie" Turner and Damon Ferguson Jr. were both listed as questionable on Wednesday's ACC availability report.

What it means for Saturday

Pitt's slide started with a 21-17 home loss to North Carolina. The Panthers then lost 27-21 at Boston College and 52-23 at No. 1 Miami, giving up 100 points across the three games after allowing 67 in their first five. They are still 5-3 and are averaging 31.6 points per game, but the defense that held UCF to seven points and shut out Bucknell has not shown up since early October.

Georgia Tech is 2-5 and has lost two in a row, 34-24 at Virginia Tech and 49-27 at home to Boston College. The Yellow Jackets have allowed 30.3 points per game, and they have scored at least 24 in each of their last five games. Two common opponents help frame the matchup. Boston College beat both teams. Pitt won 35-33 at Virginia Tech, where Georgia Tech lost by 10.

The market makes Pitt a clear home favorite. On the board for this game, which covers 11 venues, Novig has the Panthers at -292 on the moneyline and Georgia Tech at +277. The best Yellow Jackets price anywhere is +280 at BetRivers. Novig's spread is Pitt -8.5 at +102. Pinnacle offers a shorter line, Pitt -7.5 at -108, so the venues sit about a point apart. The total is 54.5 at Novig (over -106, under +104), and theScore Bet has the highest number on the board at 55.5. Sportsbook hold ranges from 3.4% to 7.0% across the spread and total markets.

The spread is just over a touchdown, which reflects Pitt's home field and recent record in the series more than its form over the last three weeks. The result may depend on whether Pitt's quarterbacks can avoid the turnovers that have hurt them during the skid, and on how many of the Panthers' running backs are available.