Syracuse football will look to clinch a bowl-game appearance for the second year in a row on Saturday afternoon, and the Orange will do so without Dino Babers on the sidelines as the ‘Cuse prepares to host Wake Forest.
This past Sunday, SU Athletics announced that Babers had been let go, effectively immediately. He was wrapping up his eighth season on the Hill. As SU Athletics conducts a national search to find a successor to Babers, tight ends coach Nunzio Campanile will serve as the interim head coach on Saturday versus the Demon Deacons on the Hill in the 2023 regular-season finale.
Last weekend, the ‘Cuse (5-6, 1-6 in the ACC) fell at Georgia Tech, 31-22, as the Yellow Jackets weren’t fooled by the Orange’s one-dimensional offense.
Wake Forest (4-7, 1-6 in the ACC), meanwhile, most recently got crushed on the road against top-20 Notre Dame.
Wake Forest vs. Syracuse odds, spread and total
When I wrote this article, FanDuel had the Orange as a 2.5-point betting favorite at home against the Demon Deacons, with the over/under set at 44.5 points.
Wake Forest vs. Syracuse how to watch
Date: Saturday, Nov. 25
Game Time: 2:00 pm
Venue: JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.
TV/Streaming: CW Network and fuboTV
Wake Forest’s record: 4-7, 1-6 in the ACC
Syracuse’s record: 5-6, 1-6 in the ACC
Syracuse’s full 2023 schedule: Click here
Wake Forest vs. Syracuse key players to watch
Here is the week-13 depth chart for the Orange against the Demon Deacons, courtesy of Emily Leiker of Syracuse.com.
From an injury standpoint, among those ‘Cuse players who are out for the rest of the 2023 stanza are junior receiver Oronde Gadsden II, redshirt sophomore offensive lineman David Wohlabaugh Jr., sophomore defensive lineman Denis Jaquez Jr., junior tight end Steven Mahar Jr. and junior offensive lineman Kalan Ellis.
We’ll also have to monitor senior quarterback Garrett Shrader and redshirt sophomore quarterback Carlos Del Rio-Wilson, both of whom have been injured in recent weeks.
Wake Forest
Sophomore running back Demond Claiborne
Claiborne, to date in the 2023 campaign, has carried the ball 137 times for 586 yards and five scores on the ground.
Syracuse
Sophomore running back LeQuint Allen Jr.
In the Orange’s setback to Georgia Tech, Allen rushed 27 times for 120 yards and two rushing touchdowns. At this juncture in 2023, he’s No. 3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing yards per game. In total, he’s carried the ball 193 times for 918 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.
Wake Forest vs. Syracuse prediction and pick
In their short all-time series together, the Orange and the Demon Deacons are tied up at 6-6, per cuse.com. In their last outing together, Wake Forest defeated Syracuse football, 45-35, in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Here is the Demon Deacons’ resume in the current term. Wake Forest has wins over Elon, Vanderbilt, Old Dominion and Pittsburgh. The Demon Deacons have fallen to Georgia Tech, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Florida State, Duke, N.C. State and Notre Dame.
As it relates to ACC records, Wake Forest and the ‘Cuse are at the bottom of the league. It will be interesting to see how the Orange responds after a tough week, given the head-coaching news. The Demon Deacons, frankly, aren’t having a good season.
So I’ll go with Syracuse football to prevail, 27-20, clinching bowl eligibility for the Orange for the second straight stanza.