No. 22 Syracuse football is seeking to get out of its two-game slump as the Orange heads to long-time rival Pittsburgh this coming Saturday afternoon.
Both Atlantic Coast Conference squads have lost two straight. The ‘Cuse blew a fourth-quarter lead at No. 5 Clemson and fell by six points to the Tigers on October 22. Then, this past Saturday, Notre Dame bulled Syracuse football (6-2, 3-1) on the Hill, with the Fighting Irish winning by 17 points.
The Panthers (4-4, 1-3), meanwhile, were defeated on the road in consecutive ACC contests. First, Louisville knocked off Pittsburgh by 14 points. Most recently, last weekend, the Panthers lost by 18 points to nationally-ranked North Carolina.
Pittsburgh, like Notre Dame, is a physical group that runs the ball quite well. The Panthers are also proficient at stopping the run, which doesn’t bode all that great for a Syracuse football offense that has struggled lately on the ground.
For the entire 2022 stanza, Pittsburgh has victories over West Virginia, Western Michigan, Rhode Island and Virginia Tech. The Panthers, conversely, have fallen to highly rated Tennessee (in overtime), Georgia Tech, Louisville and UNC.
Best Syracuse football bets week 10
Here’s what I like from a betting perspective as the Orange travels to Pittsburgh on Saturday, Nov. 5, with the kick-off slated for 3:30 pm and television coverage on the ACC Network.
Take Pittsburgh to cover the spread
At the time of this writing, WynnBET had installed the Panthers as a 3.5-point betting favorite, at home, against the ‘Cuse.
It pains me to say this, but I think that Pittsburgh is going to conquer the Orange by at least a touchdown. I don’t necessarily think that the Panthers are a “better” team than the ‘Cuse. Let’s remember that Syracuse football is 6-2, while Pittsburgh is 4-4.
However, the Panthers are suiting up on their own turf in this league clash. All-time, Pittsburgh is 42-31 versus the Orange, and the Panthers have beaten Syracuse football four times in a row.
At the conclusion of the 2021 campaign, the Orange hosted Pittsburgh. The Panthers would emerge with a convincing victory on the road, 31-14, handing the ‘Cuse a third straight setback and dropping Syracuse football to 5-7 on the year.
In that game, Orange star running back Sean Tucker only got 13 carries for 29 rushing yards. He was not pleased and said as much on Twitter. If we fast-forward to the present, Syracuse football has not fared well in the rushing department over its past two contests, which were both losses.
What’s more, the ‘Cuse roster is banged up. I hope that I’m wrong, but my gut says that Pittsburgh is going to cover the spread here.
The over looks juicy to me
WynnBET, when I wrote this article, had set the over/under at 50.5 points.
Per ESPN statistics, for the entirety of 2022 to date, Syracuse football is averaging 32.6 points per game, as compared to 30.9 points for Pittsburgh.
On defense, the Orange Mob is giving up 18.4 points per encounter, while the Panthers’ defense is allowing 27.9 points per meeting.
A couple of things to note here. Against Notre Dame, ‘Cuse starting quarterback Garrett Shrader didn’t play in the second half. Backup quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, a transfer from Florida, threw some nice passes in replace of Shrader, but we’ll have to see what the Orange’s QB situation looks like come this Saturday afternoon.
While the Syracuse football Mob defense, by and large, has proven strong in the 2022 stanza, it did just allow a season-high 41 points to the Fighting Irish. By the same token, this past Saturday, Pittsburgh gave up 42 points to the Tar Heels.
The ‘Cuse, sadly, has now lost at least six key players to season-ending injuries, after head coach Dino Babers confirmed this week that stellar cornerback Garrett Williams will miss the rest of the current term due to a knee injury.
Williams, unfortunately, joins fullback/tight end Chris Elmore, linebacker Stefon Thompson, wide receiver Isaiah Jones, defensive lineman Terry Lockett and defensive lineman Denis Jaquez Jr., who are all out for the remainder of the 2022 season.
Over the past several games, Syracuse football reserves have shown that they can step up and effectively fill the shoes of ‘Cuse starters whom they’ve replaced following injuries. But given that the Orange’s defense is banged up, and Pittsburgh’s defense doesn’t seem all that imposing, I like the over.
Go with the Panthers on the moneyline
WynnBET, at the time of this writing, had the moneyline at -175 for Pittsburgh and +145 for Syracuse football. This is a straight-up bet, with no spread involved, so it really boils down to which team you think is going to prevail.
For the Panthers, a $175 bet would net you $100, or some denomination of that. For the Orange, a $100 bet would win you $145. Neither moneyline bet is super large, in my opinion, so if you’re feeling the ‘Cuse to win on the road, go for it.
But if you’re asking for my thoughts, I think that Pittsburgh is going to triumph at home, and I’d take the Panthers on the moneyline.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.