Connecticut vs. Pittsburgh: Last Minute Spread Info, Line, BCS Impact and More

While it may sound like a game that would be a bit more exciting if it were on the hardcourt, the 3-4 Pittsburgh Panthers will host the 3-4 Connecticut Huskies in a rare Wednesday night affair.

Neither team has had the season they hoped for, but both remain in the hunt for a BCS bid. PITT is coming off two consecutive losses and has been an extremely inconsistent squad in 2011. The Panthers do have the potential to do great things, however, as evidenced by their 44-17 demolition of then-No. 16 South Florida a few weeks ago.

The defending Big East Champion Huskies haven't been any better, but they should have some momentum entering the game after upending South Florida a couple weeks ago as well. UConn didn't open the 2010 season in grand fashion either, but was able to catch lightning in a bottle and earn a Fiesta Bowl berth.

Big East confrontations are often hotly-contested affairs, and this one will be no different between two very evenly-matched teams.

Where: Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pa.

When: Wednesday, Oct. 26 at 8 p.m. EDT

Watch: ESPN/ESPN3

Spread: Pittsburgh (-10)

Neither PITT or UCONN are teams that are going to overwhelm their opponents too often, so a 10-point spread seems completely unreasonable to me. The Panthers have the advantage at home and are a slightly better overall team, but I would be pretty surprised if these teams were separated by more than a touchdown.

Over/Under: 42

Mid-to-late season Big East games are often very ugly affairs that are little more than a test of wills. Both teams are fairly mediocre offensively, so I don't see this being a shootout. An over/under of 42 is pretty modest, but expect these two teams to fall short of that number.

Connecticut Key Injuries

Out: RB D.J. Shoemate (shoulder - out for season), OL Jimmy Bennett (knee - out for season)

Doubtful: DB Blidi-Wreh Wilson (knee)

Questionable: DB Jerome Junior (foot)

Probable: LB Jerome Williams (knee), LB Martin Hyppolite (knee)

Pittsburgh Key Injuries

Out: QB Trey Anderson (wrist), WR Salath Williams (shoulder - out for season), OL Chris Jacobson (knee - out for season), DB Jason Hendricks (shoulder - out for season) 

Questionable: WR Ed Tinker (leg), OL Lucas Nix (knee)

Probable: LB Todd Thomas (leg)

BCS/Top 25 Poll Implications

With four losses apiece neither PITT or UCONN are anywhere near the Top 25 at the moment, and neither will likely get there at any point this season. With that said, the Big East is still completely wide open and essentially any team can win it.

Cincinnati leads the field at 2-0 in the conference, but both PITT and UCONN are just a game behind at 1-1. All of these teams have to play each other eventually, so it will come down to the wire, but this game could be a big boost for whichever team prevails.

Keys to Connecticut Win

The Huskies aren't going to blow too many teams away offensively, so they need to win the majority of their games by playing great defense and protecting the ball, and this game will be no different. Quarterback Johnny McEntee is more of a game manager at this point, so he'll need to make smart decisions with the football.

Ultimately, the Huskies are going to have to do most of their damage on the ground with running back Lyle McCombs. He has been excellent this season with 705 rushing yards in seven games, and he will be a vital part of UConn's ball-control offense in this game.

Keys to Pittsburgh Win

For the Panthers to succeed in this game, everything hinges on their ability to run the ball with running back Ray Graham. Through seven games Graham has 939 rushing yards, nine touchdowns and is averaging nearly six yards per carry.

Quarterback Tino Sunseri is incredibly mistake-prone, so cutting down on his turnovers will obviously be a must. PITT has been hot and cold defensively this season, but if they can stop McCombs and the UCONN ground game, then they should be in pretty good shape to even their record.

Prediction

Pittsburgh 21, Connecticut 17