Syracuse football vs. Wagner Seahawks best (and worst) bets for week 5

Syracuse football looks to start out a season at 5-0 for the first time in 35 years when the Orange hosts FCS team Wagner (0-3) this Saturday on the Hill, with the kick-off slated for 5 pm.

The ‘Cuse (4-0), which entered the Coaches top-25 poll earlier this week at No. 25, is a ridiculous betting favorite against the Seahawks, a squad that has struggled in recent years and whose campus is located in the New York City borough of Staten Island.

Despite Wagner’s combined record of 1-27 dating back to the 2019 term, Syracuse football head coach Dino Babers is adamantly reminding his players to remain locked in versus the Seahawks.

For one, injuries are mounting for the Orange roster, and it would be easy for the ‘Cuse to look past Wagner given the seven-game stretch that looms for Syracuse football in the near future.

Following its non-conference clash with the Seahawks, the Orange does have a bye week, which I believe will prove much-needed for a ‘Cuse roster that is a bit banged up.

Best Syracuse football bets week 5

Here’s what I like – or don’t like – from a betting perspective as the Orange hosts Wagner this Saturday in Central New York.

When it comes to the spread, go with the Seahawks
I love my boys in Orange, but I don’t think that Syracuse football is going to cover the spread in this game. When I penned this column, WynnBET had put the ‘Cuse as a 54.5-point betting favorite.

That, to me, is a big, big number. While I do feel that Syracuse football will blow out the Seahawks, it’s quite possible that Babers will give his reserves on both offense and defense extended minutes in this one.

That, from my perspective, suggests that maybe the ‘Cuse won’t score as many points on offense as it might have with its starters on the field for the vast majority of this encounter.

By extension, if Orange reserves are playing more on defense, too, perhaps that could result in Wagner getting more points than we would anticipate, thereby posing a greater challenge for the ‘Cuse to cover the spread.

Take the over (I think)
WynnBET has set the over/under at 60.0 points.

To date in the 2022 campaign, Syracuse football is averaging 33.25 points a game while allowing 17.50 points per contest.

Wagner, a member of the Northeast Conference, is averaging 15 points per affair while giving up a whopping 47 points per meeting. In one game earlier this season, the Seahawks allowed 66 points to Big Ten Conference member Rutgers on the road.

As I noted above, if the Orange races out to a big advantage versus Wagner, I presume that the starters will be on the sidelines at some point in the second half.

That could lower the number of points that Syracuse football is likely to score (or maybe not), while potentially enabling the Seahawks to score more than their 2022 average.

I’m a bit torn with the over/under, but ultimately, I think that the Orange and Wagner, collectively, will reach 60.0 points.

Stay away from the moneyline
At the time of this writing, WynnBET had the moneyline at an insane -100000 for Syracuse football, while it was +5000 for Wagner.

This is a straight-up bet, with no spread involved. I’m about 99.99 percent positive that the Orange is going to prevail here, but -100000 is an absurdly high number for which to roll.

What’s more, +5000 for Wagner could net you some nice coin if the Seahawks pulled the upset, but I just don’t envision that happening. Of course, I’ve been wrong before.