Last year, Syracuse and Dino Babers made their first bowl game since 2018, with a seven-win regular season. It is time to continue our college football odds series with a Syracuse football over/under win total prediction and pick.
Last year saw a surge out of the gates for Syracuse, as they won their first six games of the year. They upset Louisville and NC State in the process, as their offense was firing on all cylinders. Garrett Shrader was playing great, and the defense was solid. Then came the hardest part of the schedule, and the Orange continued to fall. They lost a close game to Clemson, before being blown out by Notre Dame. A loss at Pittsburgh followed, then another blowout to Florida State. They finished the season with a loss at Wake Forest, before getting back into the win column against Boston College.
Syracuse sits 24th in the nation in returning production. They are 39th on offense and 33rd on defense, bringing back many key players who brought Syracuse seven wins last year. Regardless, Dino Babers opens the season on the hot seat. Syracuse is breaking in a new offensive and defensive coordinator. They lost four starters on the offensive line and will have to figure out how to replace them. Syracuse also has a stretch of five of six games being on the road, although one of them is at Yankee Stadium against Pitt.
Here are the College Football Odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Football Odds: Syracuse Over/Under Win Total Odds
Over 6.5 wins: +104
Under 6.5 wins: -128
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Why Syracuse Can Win 6.5 Games
Syracuse has a favorable non-conference schedule. They open the season with games against Colgate and Western Michigan. They will get two wins out of those two games and start positively. Then they head to Purdue. This is a perfect spot to face Purdue as well. Purdue has a new head coach, and a new quarterback, while replacing key sports on the offense line, and their two top defenders. Hudson Card takes over at Purdue, but he may not be everything Purdue needs. This game will be huge to Syracuse getting the over, as will the next one against Army. How Syracuse can handle the options game from Army will be interesting, but with Shrader as our quarterback, they should be favored. That most likely place them with three wins, needing four in conference play.
Conference play opens at home against Clemson. Last year this was a close game, but much of that was due to DJ Uiagalelei's two interceptions and poor play overall. With Cade Klubnik at the helm for Clemson, this will be a win for the Tigers. Next is three straight road games. They are at UNC, Florida State, and Virginia Tech. Syracuse needs to get one win out of those three games. They should be favored against Virginia Tech, but that is also the third game in a row on the road.
After that should be a win against Boston College, but Pitt comes next. Pitt will be improved this year with Phil Jurkovec at quarterback and will provide a tough matchup for the Orange. Syracuse ends the season with games at Georgia Tech and then home against Wake Forest. Wake Forest is not the same team as years past. Assuming Syracuse is 3-1 in non-conference play, beats Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Georgia Tech, the win total will come down to this game. Wake Forest ranks 112th in returning production. Without Sam Hartman, this will not be the same team and Syracuse could get the win to hit seven.
Why Syracue Can Not Win 6.5 Games
There are a few ways that Syracuse misses 6.5 games. First is a 2-2 record in non-conference play. While Syracuse may go 4-0 in non-conference play, it is also possible they go 2-2. Army is a tough team to defend and could be favored in this game. With a first-year defensive coordinator and a defense that does not have elite speed, they could lose to Army. Purdue is breaking in a new quarterback, but Hudson Card is a solid QB. Their new coach is a great defensive coach who will have a schedule for Shrader.
Clemson should be a loss, as they will be improved this year. Then UNC and Florida State are on the road. This is Syracuse facing two of the best quarterbacks in the ACC, if not the nation. They will be heavy underdogs in those games. Coming off two potential blowouts, will Syracuse respond at Virginia Tech? Last year when they had a winnable game after two blowouts, they lost. They could easily do the same again. With a 2-2 record in the non-conference play, the loss to Virginia Tech would mean they would need to win their last four just to hit bowl eligibility.
With Wake Forest as the last game of the season, there is also the potential they will miss a bowl game. Wake Forest lost their quarterback, but with Dave Clawson at the helm, they should be able to find a proper quarterback by the last game of the year. Pitt will be better this year as well. With that, it is entirely possible, Syracuse misses a bowl game.
Final Syracue Over/Under Win Total Prediction & Pick
Syracuse will start the season 3-1. They will win the first two games of the season. Syracuse beats Purdue but loses to Army. They then lose four straight, including a loss to Virginia Tech. They rebound against Boston College and upsets Pitt at Yankee Stadium. The Orange then goes to Atlanta and takes care of Georgia Tech. It all then comes down to the Wake Forest game. Take Dave Clawson over Dino Babers. Syracuse loses the last game of the year and ends at seven wins.
Final Syracue Over/Under Win Total Prediction & Pick: Syracuse under 6.5 (-128)
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