Syracuse Football: Staff picks do include an Orange upset of UNC

Neil Adler

Syracuse football kicks off its 2020 season by traveling to No. 18 North Carolina this Saturday, with the contest scheduled to start at noon and airing on the ACC Network. While some conferences around the country have postponed their fall football stanzas, the Atlantic Coast Conference is moving forward with an 11-game slate for each league unit.

The Orange has a daunting schedule that includes road battles versus several of the ACC’s premier squads, including the Tar Heels. The ‘Cuse and UNC will go toe to toe inside Kenan Memorial Stadium, however, according to North Carolina athletic-department officials, no fans will get to watch this bout in-person.

The Tar Heels boast a potent offensive attack, led by Heisman Trophy contender Sam Howell. Syracuse football defensive players, employing a new 3-3-5 scheme, have a big-time challenge trying to contain Howell, along with UNC’s stellar group of running backs and wide receivers.

Following the release of the Orange’s first depth chart of the 2020 stanza earlier this week, as well as subsequent media reports, word has come across that two of the top running backs for the ‘Cuse from 2019 are not going to suit up. There are also massive question marks on the offensive line, which doesn’t necessarily bode well for quarterback Tommy DeVito’s outlook, at least in the short term.

ESPN’s Football Power Index says that North Carolina has an 87.1 percent chance to prevail, and odds-makers are anointing the Tar Heels as a roughly 23-point favorite. I don’t believe that UNC is going to cover that spread, but the Tar Heels will defeat Syracuse football in the 2020 campaign opener, 38-20.