Syracuse Football: Week 12 Duke Blue Devils crystal ball predictions

Neil Adler, Contributor (8-1)

The Syracuse football squad returns to action after a bye week when the struggling Orange travel to Duke on Nov. 16, with the ACC Network providing television coverage. The ‘Cuse (3-6, 0-5) is still winless in the Atlantic Coast Conference, a somewhat shocking factoid considering the stellar stanza that Syracuse had in 2018, when the Orange claimed 10 victories.

Oh, what a difference a year makes.

The ‘Cuse has also dropped four-straight decisions, and its chance to earn a post-season bowl berth is all but non-existent at this juncture. A defeat of the Blue Devils (4-5, 2-3) on the road, however, would at least give Syracuse some positive momentum as the 2019 campaign heads toward its conclusion. Duke, too, is experiencing a bit of a rough patch, as the Blue Devils have lost three affairs in a row, including a 38-7 demolition at home on Nov. 9 at the hands of highly rated Notre Dame.

Given that Duke is hosting the Orange from Wallace Wade Stadium this Saturday beginning at 4 p.m., the Blue Devils are currently a 10.5-point favorite, according to odds-makers in Las Vegas, and ESPN’s Football Power Index says that Duke has a 73.0 percent chance to prevail.

From a statistical perspective, the ‘Cuse and the Blue Devils are fairly similar. Syracuse averages 24.1 points per contest while allowing 30.7. Duke, remarkably, scores 27.2 points a game and also gives up that exact same amount. The Orange has an edge of about 32 total yards on offense over the Blue Devils, but the two defenses have a much larger disparity between them. Duke allows 364.8 total yards, and the ‘Cuse gives up a whopping 456.7.

Syracuse has to clean up its defense, particularly in the running department, since the Blue Devils collect nearly 160 rushing yards per encounter. In the end, I believe that the Orange will hang tough with Duke, but unfortunately, the Blue Devils will come away with a 28-24 success.