The Pittsburgh Panthers and the Massachusetts Minutemen will face off at 4 p.m. ET Sept. 4 at Heinz Field to kick off their 2021 seasons. Pitt was on the positive side of .500 (6-5) last season and is hoping to kick off an even more successful year. Meanwhile, returning after a rocky 0-4 year, UMass is aiming to prove that the past does not define them.
A couple last-season defensive stats to keep an eye on: The Panthers were the best in the nation in sacks, finishing the 2020 season with 46. Less enviably, the Minutemen ranked worst in the nation with respect to rushing yards allowed per game last season, where the squad gave up 273.5 on average. The good news for UMass, of course, is that these forces working against them might not carry over into the new season.
Pitt is the favorite in this one, with an expected 38-point (!) margin of victory. It would take nothing short of a miracle for UMass to pull off a win, but maybe they can at least keep Pitt from covering the spread.