GameAbove Sports Bowl Preview, Pitt vs. Toledo Prediction, and Betting Lines

You want to talk about two teams in desperate need of finishing with something positive …

Toledo was probably the best team in the MAC this year, but it got whacked by Ohio in the game it had to have, lost to Akron – who loses to Akron? – and ended up with a blah season despite at win at Mississippi State and yet another trip to a bowl game.

It’s the fourth bowl trip in a row for the Rockets, but it’s just 1-5 in its last six going back to 2016.

Pitt has won two of its last three bowl games but just three of its last ten. However, one was last year’s thriller over UCLA in the Sun, and the two other victims came in other versions of this bowl over MAC teams.

The 2024 Panthers started 7-0, couldn’t handle SMU, and closed with a tough five-game losing streak.

Pitt vs Toledo: How to Watch the GameAbove Sports Bowl, Game Preview

Date: Thursday, December 26, 2024
Game Time: 2:00 pm ET
How To Watch: ESPN
Venue: Ford Field, Detroit, MI
Teams: Pitt (7-5), Toledo (7-5)

Why Toledo Will Win

Pitt’s available players are a tad iffy at the moment. The team should be okay, but a slew of skill players are questionable, primarily at quarterback.

So what went wrong the the Panthers over the five-game losing streak slide? The offense wasn’t consistent and the turnovers started to come in bunches. After giving the ball away just six times over the seven game winning streak, the offense turned it over 11 times in the five games.

Toledo doesn’t force a ton of mistakes, but it should bring enough pressure to make the Panthers rush, especially if their top two quarterbacks aren’t around – Nate Yarnell is in the portal.

From all of those turnovers, to way too many penalties, to special teams mistakes, Pitt screws up a ton. However …

Why Pitt Will Win

When it comes to making mistakes, Toledo is terrible in the red zone, on the ground, and with the clock. The passing game is not consistent enough, which is the worst thing about this game.

It was hard to work with the Panther secondary for most of the year. Third down was not terrible, and the team was fine as long as the defense was not getting smoked.

Pitt went 5-0 when they let teams connect on less than 58% of their passes. Toledo should be able to get to the mark, but how well their ground game works will tell.

They were 5-1 when they gave up more than 3.6 yards per carry and 2-4 when they were held to that many. It starts to turn over the ball when they can not run.

Pitt vs Toledo: Who Will Win?

Pitt has more players who can leave and have not signed yet, but it also has more room to lose players. Toledo has a lot less room for talent error.

The problem is with the Panthers’ quarterback. Come back to this right before the game. Do not think Eli Holstein can go until we know for sure that he can.

Again, though, the Panthers have better players who can step in and do the job.

The Power Four lines, in any shape or form, will win in the last 20 minutes, even though the Rockets will put up a good fight.