Syracuse football vs. Purdue Boilermakers best bets for week 3

Well, Syracuse football was a big-time betting favorite in week two at UConn this past Saturday night. I had high confidence that the Orange would crush the Huskies and cover the spread, and the ‘Cuse did just that.

Once in a while, I get something right. But fast-forward to the present, and Syracuse football possesses an intriguing and challenging non-conference clash in week three.

The Orange will host Big Ten Conference member Purdue this Saturday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome, with the kick-off scheduled for 12 pm and television coverage on ESPN2.

So far in the early 2022 season, the ‘Cuse is 2-0, while the Boilermakers are 1-1, with their lone loss to date consisting of a four-point setback at home to nationally ranked Penn State.

Best Syracuse football bets week 3

Of course, I don’t profess to be a betting expert in the least, but I’m going to provide some bets here that I like, with the spread and other gambling information coming from FanDuel Sportsbook.

Take the Orange to cover the spread
It really boils down (no pun intended) to this. Do you think that the ‘Cuse is going to prevail, or will Purdue pick up a road win this Saturday afternoon?

Because when I wrote this column, the Boilermakers were a 1.5-point betting favorite. The moneyline odds for Syracuse football for the point spread were -115.

To me, with such a small point spread, it’s all about which squad you think is going to come out on top. I like the ‘Cuse to emerge victorious, and the Orange is also getting 1.5 points. Thus, I’d go with Syracuse football here.

Definitely take the over
The over/under is set at 58.5 points. It’s early in 2022, but at this juncture, Purdue is averaging nearly 44 points per game, while the ‘Cuse is putting up close to 40 points per encounter.

Certainly, one would want to factor in the level of competition that both the Boilermakers and the Orange have faced thus far this term. Purdue lost to Penn State and throttled Indiana State, with both contests occurring at home for the Boilermakers.

Syracuse football, conversely, destroyed both Louisville on the Hill and UConn away from Central New York.

I really, really dig the Orange defense, although it will be thoroughly tested by an explosive Purdue offense. What’s more, the ‘Cuse offense has been stellar to date, led by quarterback Garrett Shrader and All-American running back Sean Tucker.

Do I think that Syracuse football and the Boilermakers are likely to score 80-plus points in total? I do not. But I do think that these two teams will collect 59 points or more in total.

Go with the ‘Cuse in a moneyline bet
The moneyline is -108 for Syracuse football. This is a straight-up bet, with no spread, so you have to like the Orange to beat Purdue to go with the ‘Cuse here.

Still, at -108, that’s not a huge number to me. Wagering $108 to win $100, from my perspective, sounds reasonable, since I believe that Syracuse football is going to conquer Purdue.

If you like Purdue to win outright, the Boilermakers’ moneyline is set at -111. That’s also not a big, big number.

First half over/under is interesting
The over/under for the first half is 30.0 points. That’s not a massive number, in my opinion.

I do think that when this game is over, the combined score will total more than 60 points, given each squad’s high-octane offense. However, for some reason, I feel like the first half may be lower scoring, as the two foes figure each other out, and then there will be a lot more scoring after half-time.

If you’re feeling ambitious, maybe look to take the under for the first half. By the way, the over for the first half is -114, while the under for the first half is -106.