Betting
Our model — cards
| Team | Spread | Points | Win% | vs book |
|---|
| PITT away | +3.5 | — | 40.1% | — |
| CAL home | -3.5 | — | 59.9% | — |
| Total | no total model | | | |
FEI — bcftoys.com
Nothing to show for this game.
"Points" is the implied score for each side: a spread and a total are the margin and the sum, so solving them back out says what each team is expected to score. A favourite is shown negative, the way a book quotes it. "vs book" is that model's line for the team minus the book's, so a plus means the model makes them the weaker side. Our cards are EA College Football 27 launch ratings rolled up; the gap between two teams is multiplied by a scale fitted on this season's results (real margins have run about 1.8 times the raw gap), plus 2.5 points of home field; the win chance comes from how far 7,877 FBS results landed from a line. FEI is Brian Fremeau's projection, shown as a reference only: measured on his own results pages it went 49.9% against the spread over 3,101 games (2022–25), and the pickers never see it. Neither model has shown it beats a closing line.
Team ratings
| Points vs an average FBS team | PITT | CAL |
|---|
| Offence (cards) | +4.333rd | +5.921st |
| Defence (cards) | +1.434th | +0.259th |
| Card team rating | +5.734th | +6.129th |
| SP+ (CFBD's rating, theirs) | +14.720th | -3.281st |
| FEI (bcftoys.com, theirs) | +0.625th | -0.279th |
| F+ (FEI + SP+, theirs) | +1.024th | -0.377th |
| Card line | CAL -3.3 (the gap ×1.87, fitted on 215 games, plus 2.5 home field) |
| Returning production | 40% | 58% |
Cards are EA College Football 27's Week 3 Ratings (EA re-rates weekly; we take the newest) with CFBD's measured stats shown beside them; the team rating rolls EA's starters up with the NFL position weights, unmeasured for college. SP+ is opponent-adjusted; ours is not yet.
Quarterbacks
Mason Heintschel PITT85 ▲2 overall · Sophomore
Points added per play0.462
Completion67.7%
TD–INT13-1
Pass attempts, median game33
Pass yards, median game308
Rush yards, median game28
Games this season4
Team throws per game37.2
Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele CAL86 ▲1 overall · Sophomore
Points added per play0.157
Completion64.2%
TD–INT7-4
Pass attempts, median game34
Pass yards, median game227
Rush yards, median game-6
Games this season4
Team throws per game38.5
The starter comes from the maintained depth chart (cfbdepth.com). The rating is EA College Football 27's Week 3 Ratings (EA re-rates weekly; we take the newest); everything under it is what CFBD has measured this season, as a median game rather than a total so a man who missed time is not shrunk.
Against the number
| Team | ATS | Cover% | vs spread | O/U | vs total |
|---|
| PITT away | 3-1 | 75% | +8.5 | 1-3 | -6.8 |
| CAL home | 1-3 | 25% | -9.9 | 1-3 | -7.5 |
Against DraftKings' closing number, this season. A record of what happened and nothing more — cover rates do not predict, which is why the pickers never see them.
Streak trends
No 4+ streak in any split for either side.
Cover, win/loss and over/under streaks in every split (home, away, favourite, underdog, division, primetime, big favourite), counted against the closing line. Measured over every FBS season on file: cover and over/under streaks revert (fade 6+); college win/loss streaks tell you nothing against the spread (50%), so they are shown here but the picker ignores them. These never reach the pickers' bundle; the "streak" row on the picks board bets on its own.
Venue, weather, rest and travel
Built when the game's bundle is (California Memorial Stadium).
Who is out (reported)
No news read for this game yet.
Covers.com injury tags
| Team | Player | Status | Since | Note |
|---|
| PITT | T. Kinsler WR | probable Undisclosed | Thu, Oct 1 | Kinsler is nursing with an undisclosed injury, but he is expected to play against Virginia Tech on Friday. |
| PITT | E. Lagg TE | doubtful Undisclosed | Thu, Oct 1 | Lagg is hampered by an undisclosed injury, and he is unlikely to suit up Friday against the Virginia Tech. |
| PITT | J. Turner RB | probable Undisclosed | Wed, Sep 30 | Turner is dealing with an undisclosed injury, but he is expected to play Friday against the Virginia Tech. |
| PITT | J. Cook RB | probable Undisclosed | Tue, Sep 29 | Cook is dealing with an undisclosed injury, but he is expected to play Friday against the Virginia Tech. |
| PITT | M. Hunt TE | questionable Undisclosed | Sat, Sep 26 | Hunt is managing with an undisclosed injury, and it remains to be seen if he will suit up against Virginia Tech on Friday, October 2nd. |
| PITT | R. Dunbar WR | questionable Undisclosed | Sat, Sep 26 | Dunbar is nursing with an undisclosed injury, and it is up in the air if he will play against Virginia Tech on Friday, October 2nd. |
| PITT | B. Lovelace LB | questionable Undisclosed | Sat, Sep 26 | Lovelace is dealing with an undisclosed injury, and it remains to be seen if he will suit up against Virginia Tech on Friday, October 2nd. |
| PITT | M. Knight WR | out Undisclosed | Sat, Sep 26 | Knight is dealing with an undisclosed injury, and there is no timetable for his return. |
| CAL | C. Vargas RB | out Leg | Sat, Sep 26 | |
| CAL | R. Walker TE | questionable Undisclosed | Sat, Sep 26 | |
| CAL | C. Boscia WR | questionable Undisclosed | Sat, Sep 26 | |
| CAL | T. Rogers WR | questionable Undisclosed | Sat, Sep 26 | |