Pinstripe Bowl Betting: Pittsburgh vs. Northwestern Odds, Analysis and Pick

Pittsburgh is playing in a bowl for the ninth straight season, but the Panthers are looking for more success after going 1-4 both straight up and against the spread over their last five bowl appearances. Pitt will play as a short betting favorite over Northwestern in the Pinstripe Bowl on December 28 at Yankee Stadium.

Pinstripe Bowl point spread: The Panthers opened as three-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark. (Line updates and matchup report)

College football pick, via OddsShark computer: 34.4-30.8 Panthers (College football picks on every game)

Why the Pittsburgh Panthers can cover the spread

Pitt sat at 5-4 coming into the stretch then rallied for three straight victories. The winning streak began with one of the great games of this season, that crazy 43-42 victory over eventual ACC champion and CFP-bound Clemson. The Panthers then put up 56 points in a win over Duke and finished by piling up 76 points and scoring 11 touchdowns in a wild victory over Syracuse.

Pittsburgh outrushed the Orange by 165 yards and has outrushed 10 of 12 opponents on the season.

Earlier this year, the Panthers beat eventual Big Ten champion Penn State and lost by a field goal but covered against ACC division champion Virginia Tech. So Pitt is 2-1 SU and 2-0-1 ATS this year against teams that played in conference championship games.

Why the Northwestern Wildcats can cover the spread

Northwestern overcame a slow start to this season to make a bowl for the second straight year. The Wildcats opened with losses to eventual MAC champion (and still undefeated) Western Michigan and Illinois State but finished with five wins in their last eight games, including victories over two bowl-bound teams in Iowa and Indiana. And two of the losses in that span came in tough games against College Football Playoff-bound Ohio State and Big Ten West champion Wisconsin.

Needing a victory in its regular-season finale to become bowl-eligible, Northwestern got it, beating rival Illinois 42-21, covering as a 16-point favorite. The Wildcats outrushed the Illini that day 278-57 and have now outrushed five of their last eight opponents. They're also 6-2 ATS over that span.

Smart pick

Like several of Pittsburgh's earlier contests this season, this one could turn crazy. And in cases like this, it's better to take the points rather than give. The wise bettor on the college football point spreads here gives the nod to Northwestern.

Betting trends

Northwestern is 6-2 ATS in its last eight games.

The total has gone over in Pittsburgh's last 11 games.

Pittsburgh is 5-1 SU and ATS in its last six games in December.

All college football lines and betting trends courtesy of Bleacher Report’s official odds partner, OddsShark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line-movement updates and the OddsShark YouTube page for picks and analysis, or download the free odds tracker app.