How the public is betting the Peach Bowl: Michigan State vs. Pitt

Update 4:30 p.m. Here are the updated splits from DK Sportsbook:

Michigan State: -3.5: 77% of handle, 73% of bets
Over 56: 38% of handle, 56% of bets

Thursday night’s Peach Bowl between the No. 10 Michigan State Spartans and No. 12 Pittsburgh Panthers lost a bit of its luster with the top players from both teams opting out to get ready for the NFL Draft. Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett will be out, and so will Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III. This is a great chance for unproven players to show out in front of a national audience in a stand-alone matchup from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

So where are sports bettors going as we get closer to game time? Let’s take a look. All odds and info were provided by DraftKings Sportsbook.

Point Spread

Michigan State is a three-point favorite. 80% of the handle and 73% of the bets are on the Spartans.

Is the public right? It’s tough to handicap a game that does not feature the two most impactful players who got their teams this far, but let’s side with where the public is thinking. Pitt is missing much more than Michigan State is with a quarterback who attempted just 14 passes this season. The big advantage the Panthers had was at quarterback, but that has been minimized significantly.

Over/Under

Total points is installed at 55.5. 69% of the handle is on the under and 67% of the bets are on the over.

Is the public right? Let’s side with where the money is going and take the under. Pitt will be without their Heisman finalist quarterback Kenny Pickett, most talented wide receiver Taysir Mack and offensive coordinator Mark Whipple. The Panthers threw the ball at the 25th highest rate nationally, but that should go way down as they focus more on the ground game.

Moneyline

Michigan State is a -140 favorite to win while Pitt is +120. 75% of the handle and 69% of the bets are on Michigan State.

Is the public right? There is enough value to go either way on this one, but let’s stick with the Spartans to win outright. Mel Tucker is a great motivator as we’ve seen in Year 2 in East Lansing, and he should have Michigan State ready to play. Look for the Spartans to close out the season with an 11-2 record despite entering the season with a projected win total of four.

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