Pittsburgh Panthers vs Michigan State Spartans Peach Bowl Betting Preview

This year’s Peach Bowl will feature two top-25 teams as the No. 13 Pittsburgh Panthers (11-2) square off with the No. 11 Michigan State Spartans (10-2). This bowl game will be played at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Thursday, with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 pm ET.
Pittsburgh finished the season with five straight victories, including an ACC Championship win over No. 20 Wake Forest, 45-21.
In the win, Kenny Pickett threw for 253 yards and two scores while rushing for another. Israel Abanikanda led the ground game with 55 yards rushing and two scores.
Michigan State finished the season winning two of their last three games, including a 30-27 win over Penn State on November 27.
Payton Thorne was solid, throwing for 268 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. The real star, though, was Kenneth Walker, who rushed for 138 yards and a score.
The Spartans are slight favorites in this one. They are -142 to win while the Panthers’ moneyline sits at +116. The spread features Pittsburgh +2.5 (-105), and the over/under for total points is 56.
By The Numbers
Pittsburgh had one of the best offenses in the nation this season. They ranked fifth in scoring, averaging 40.2 points per game. Michigan State ranked 37th, averaging 31 points per game.
Defensively, it is again the Panthers with the edge. They rank 42nd in the nation in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 24.4 points per game. Michigan State ranks 61st, allowing 26.7 points.
Panthers Offense Takes Huge Hit
Pittsburgh had one of the best offenses in the nation in large, thanks to quarterback Kenny Pickett. This season, he threw for 4,319 yards, 42 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions. He also rushed for 241 yards and five scores.
Unfortunately for Pittsburgh fans, he won’t be on the field Thursday. He has decided to forego this game as he prepares for the NFL draft.
Without Pickett, the next most utilized quarterback is junior Nick Patti. This season, Patti threw just 14 passes for 140 yards. Needless to say, it is a big drop-off for the Panthers.
As a result, expect the ground game to become even more important. Israel Abanikanda (635 yards, seven touchdowns), Vincent Davis (550 yards, four touchdowns), and Rodney Hammond Jr. (484 yards, five touchdowns) led the way for Pittsburgh.
Spartans Without Their Own Star
While the loss of Pickett is dreadful for the Panthers, the Spartans will be without their own star. Leading running back Kenneth Walker III has also decided to skip this game for the draft.
He led the team with 1,636 yards and 18 touchdowns on 263 attempts. The next leading rusher was Jordon Simmons, who rushed just 54 times for 255 yards and no scores.
With Walker out, there will be more pressure on Payton Thorne. This season, Thorne threw for 2,886 yards, 24 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.
His leading receiver was junior Jayden Reed. He had 53 receptions for 946 yards and eight touchdowns this season.
Take Michigan State To Win And Cover
Both of these teams rank in the top-15 in rushing defense this season. As a result, the ground game was going to be a struggle for both teams regardless.
Through the air, it is a different story. Pittsburgh ranks 114th in passing defense (allowing 273.8 yards), and Michigan State ranks 130th (allowing 356 yards).
With two defenses so susceptible to the passing game, give me the team that has the experienced quarterback. In this case, that is Michigan State and Payton Thorne.
Take Michigan State to not only win but to cover the 2.5-point spread.