Syracuse football entered its Atlantic Coast Conference collision with Florida State on Saturday night in Central New York as a fairly sizable betting underdog when I wrote this column, although betting information is certainly subject to change prior to a game commencing.
While the Orange and the No. 25 Seminoles have identical overall records at this juncture in the 2022 stanza, these two teams are trending in opposite directions. The ‘Cuse (6-3, 3-2) has lost three in a row, to Clemson, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh.
FSU, meanwhile, has won two straight ACC affairs. The Seminoles (6-3, 4-3) smoked Georgia Tech at home, followed by a road domination of Miami this past Saturday. What’s more, even prior to these two consecutive successes, Florida State played some of the league’s best teams extremely tight.
Best Syracuse football bets week 11
Here’s what I like from a betting perspective as the Orange hosts Florida State during senior day on Saturday, Nov. 12. These ACC rivals will begin their battle at 8 pm on the Hill, with the ACC Network providing television coverage.
Take the ‘Cuse to cover the spread
At the time of this writing, WynnBET had anointed the Seminoles as a 6.5-point betting favorite, on the road, versus the Orange. To me, and I’m not a gambling expert, but this seems like a pretty hefty spread.
I understand the logic here. Florida State is on a roll, while the ‘Cuse is fading. But it’s also senior day for Syracuse football. Hopefully, the crowd at the JMA Wireless Dome will be large and boisterous.
Orange players should be pumped up to grab a victory for the seniors on the roster, and also to snap this present three-game losing streak. While I think that FSU is going to prevail on Saturday evening, I sense that the ‘Cuse will keep things close.
I don’t believe that the Seminoles will triumph by a touchdown or more, and I’d go with Syracuse football to cover the spread.
It’s close, but I’d go with the under
WynnBET, when I wrote this article, had set the over/under at 51.0 points. I’m torn on whether I like the over or the under better, but I’ll stick with the under.
Here’s why. So far in the 2022 stanza, Florida State is averaging 33.6 points per game while allowing 19.8 points per encounter, according to ESPN statistics.
Syracuse football, conversely, is averaging 30.0 points per affair while giving up 18.4 points per meeting.
On the face of it, if both offenses are faring well, the over certainly seems attainable. While FSU put up a whopping 45 points in a rout of Miami on the road this past weekend, the Orange only managed three field goals in a 19-9 setback at Pittsburgh.
Even with that loss, though, the banged-up ‘Cuse Mob defense managed to hold the Panthers to just 19 points. Florida State has a top-20 rushing attack around the country, averaging 211.8 yards per game on the ground.
The Seminoles’ defense, moreover, allows 143.4 rushing yards per encounter, which is fairly comparable to the 149.0 rushing yards per game that Syracuse football is presently averaging in 2022.
The Orange passing attack hasn’t been great in recent weeks, and it remains to be seen which ‘Cuse quarterback will be the starting signal-caller this Saturday. The Syracuse football defense will have to contain Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis, who has 17 passing touchdowns against just four interceptions at this juncture in the 2022 term.
I’m assuming that FSU will go on methodical drives that will eat up clock. If the Orange can do the same, and there aren’t a lot of combined turnovers committed by these two squads, then I can envision a low-scoring contest. As such, I like the under.
Go with Florida State on the moneyline
WynnBET, at the time of this writing, had the moneyline at -255 for Florida State and +205 for Syracuse football. This is a straight-up bet, with no spread involved, so it really comes down to which team you think is going to prevail.
For the Seminoles, a $255 bet would net you $100 (or some denomination of that). For the Orange, a $100 bet would win you $205. I think that FSU is going to pull off a road victory versus Syracuse football, so I’ll favor the Seminoles on the moneyline.
In their all-time series together, Florida State owns a massive edge, at 12-2. Last year, the Seminoles squeaked by the ‘Cuse in Tallahassee, Fla., by a final count of 33-30.
FSU’s wins this season are against LSU (now a top-10 squad), Louisville, Duquesne, Boston College, Georgia Tech and Miami. The Seminoles’ three losses, by a combined 18 points, are to N.C. State on the road, as well as to Wake Forest and Clemson at home.
Frankly, I just think that between Florida State and Syracuse football, the Seminoles are playing better these days.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.