Syracuse Football: Week 8 Pitt Panthers crystal ball predictions

Neil Adler, Contributor (6-0)

The Syracuse football squad, struggling so far in the 2019 campaign in part due to an anemic offense, looks to right the ship when it hosts Pittsburgh on Friday night from the Carrier Dome.

The Orange (3-3, 0-2) is still searching for its inaugural Atlantic Coast Conference conquest in the current stanza after falling on Oct. 10 at N.C. State, 16-10. Despite a putrid offensive attack versus the Wolfpack, the ‘Cuse had an opportunity to possibly win that affair in the waning minutes, although several questionable calls from the officials did Syracuse no favors. Regardless, if the Orange can’t find a way to muster up more scoring, a bowl berth down the line might start to slip away.

The Panthers (4-2, 1-1), meanwhile, have put forth a solid performance to date in the present term, notching three-consecutive successes, including an impressive one-point home triumph over No. 15 UCF on Sept. 21. At this juncture, odds-makers in Las Vegas are anointing Pittsburgh as a 3.5-point favorite in its duel with the ‘Cuse, while ESPN’s Football Power Index says that Syracuse possesses a slim 51.1 percent chance to prevail.

This ACC battle is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. with ESPN providing television coverage. In reviewing various statistical categories, on paper, this pair of programs is relatively even. The Panthers average 21.5 points per contest, whereas the Orange gets 25.5. On defense, Pittsburgh allows 22.5 points a game, and the ‘Cuse gives up 26.0. Yards generated are 393.2 per encounter for the Panthers, and 378.3 for Syracuse.

The biggest disparity is on the defensive side, where Pittsburgh coughs up 298.7 yards every meeting, compared to a whopping 425.8 for the Orange. My gut tells me that this matchup will prove close throughout. I badly want to predict a ‘Cuse triumph, however, I simply don’t have a ton of confidence in Syracuse’s offense these days. Ultimately, the Panthers will defeat the Orange, 28-24.