Central Michigan Chippewas vs Pittsburgh Panthers Prediction, Odds and Picks for Saturday, 09/06/25

The Pittsburgh Panthers will stay on their home field for their second game of the season as heavy favorites. The Panthers first game was against the Duquesne Dukes, and Pittsburgh blew them out of the stadium 61-9, covering a sizable 39.5-point spread. Quarterback Eli Holstein entered his sophomore year by throwing for 215 yards and 4 touchdowns, and running back Desmond Reid ran the ball 8 times for 66 yards, including a 53 yard touchdown run. Their opponent this week will be the Central Michigan Chippewas out of the Mid-American Conference. Central Michigan won their first game of the season 16-14 on the road against San Jose State. The Chippewas were 14.5-point underdogs going into the game. San Jose State had two field goal attempts to regain the lead in the final four minutes, but missed both attempts. The victory gave head coach Matt Drinkall his first win as a college football head coach in his debut game.

Pittsburgh flexed their muscle in Week 1, and they will once again be a heavy favorite in Week 2, but Central Michigan should prove to be a tougher test for the Panthers. The strategy was clear for Drinkall in his first game as head coach, run the ball. The Chippewas ran the football 51 times against San Jose State for a total of 236 yards. Running back Nahree Biggins and Trey Cornist combined for 201 of those yards on 31 attempts. Bad news for Central Michigan though is Pittsburgh excels against the run. In 2024, the Panthers only allowed teams to rush for 112.8 yards per game, with an average of 3.1 yards per carry over the course of the year. This defense looked to pick up exactly where it left off against Duquesne, only allowing them to run for 37 yards on 31 attempts. Central Michigan may have had success in Week 1 running the football, but with a generally young offensive line, I don’t expect them to have the same success against a team from the ACC. I expect the Panthers to win big again in Week 2.

Panthers -22.5 is available at the time of publishing. Playable at that number.