Syracuse Football: Week 7 NC State Wolfpack crystal ball predictions

Neil Adler, Contributor (5-0)

The Syracuse football squad returns to the field after a welcomed bye week, when the Orange travels to N.C. State for an Atlantic Coast Conference clash on Thursday night.

The ‘Cuse (3-2, 0-1) is seeking its first league victory of the 2019 campaign, and the same holds true for its opponent, the Wolfpack (3-2, 0-1). In all honesty, neither team has performed at a high level to date in the current term.

Both Syracuse and N.C. State each last competed on Sept. 28, with the Orange defeating Holy Cross, 41-3, inside the Carrier Dome, and the Wolfpack getting crushed at Florida State, 31-13. This ACC contest, which will transpire at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C., is scheduled to commence at 8:00 p.m., with ESPN providing television coverage.

At this juncture, odds-makers in Las Vegas are anointing N.C. State as a 4.5-point favorite, while ESPN’s Football Power Index projects that the Wolfpack possesses a 59.2 percent chance to prevail.

On the season, the ‘Cuse is averaging 28.6 points per affair, slightly less than N.C. State’s scoring average of 29.8 points. On defense, though, the Wolfpack has a sizable advantage, allowing 20.8 points a game, compared to 28.0 points for Syracuse. Additionally, N.C. State is producing about 45 more yards per encounter on offense, and the Wolfpack is giving up 117 fewer yards on defense. The Orange, clearly, will have its hands full in this conference showdown.

N.C. State is also apparently making a switch at quarterback, according to media reports, with Bailey Hockman expected to start, replacing Matthew McKay. It’s important to note that the Wolfpack is 3-0 during the 2019 stanza on its own turf, and that could prove the difference in a match-up that I anticipate will remain close throughout. The ‘Cuse having a week off to regroup and rest is significant, but ultimately I forecast that N.C. State will squeeze by Syracuse, 30-27.