Syracuse vs. UNC Prediction, Pick Against the Spread, and Latest Odds
Syracuse is coming off their first loss of the season last week against Clemson where the Orange's strong rushing attack was stifled by the Tigers. Can the Syracuse offense get back on track this week on the road against North Carolina? Let's break it down.
Joey Ruiz - October 7, 2023, 9:30 AM EDT
9 minSyracuse vs. UNC Prediction, Pick Against the Spread, and Latest Odds
Syracuse was one of the most dominant teams in college football this year through their first three games as they absolutely dominated Colgate, Western Michigan, and Purdue but their undefeated season came to an end as Clemson went into their house and defeated the Orange by a score of 31-14.
Syracuse vs. UNC Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: October 7, 2023
- Game Time: 3:30 pm ET
- Where to Watch: ESPN
Syracuse vs. UNC Odds
- Spread: Syracuse +10 (-110), UNC -10 (-104)
- Total Odds: O/U 59 (-105)
- Moneyline Odds: Syracuse (+310), UNC (-365)
Syracuse vs. UNC Prediction
In that game, the strong Syracuse rushing attack just could not get going as they averaged just 2.9 yards per rush and Schrader in particular carried the ball 15 times for just 24 yards and an average of 1.6 yards per carry... not very good. Clemson does have one of the better run defenses in the country though so while it was a bit of a surprise to see Syracuse struggle that much, it was not a total shock to see Clemson's defense control that game.
Syracuse now has to travel to North Carolina to take on the Tar Heels in what should be a fantastic game, and I fully expect the Syracuse running game to get back on track against this UNC front seven. North Carolina comes into this game undefeated with a record of 4-0 but they have played a fairly weak schedule and have yet to really be tested. They beat an overrated South Carolina team in Week 1 as their pass rush shined and then struggled against an Appalachian State team in a down season as the Tar Heels needed overtime to a pull out a win.
In that contest against Appalachian State, UNC allowed 494 total yards including 219 yards on the ground at 5.0 yards per carry. App State dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball which was very alarming to see. North Carolina did not record a single sack in the game while App State was able to record two sacks of their own. This was a bit of a letdown game after their impressive Week 1 win over South Carolina and now UNC has played two fairly weak opponents in a row in Minnesota and Pittsburgh and handled them both easily. Neither Minnesota or Pittsburgh had the fire power or physicality at the line of scrimmage to compete with North Carolina, but Syracuse does.
The Orange average 4.5 yards per rush on offense and are ranked 19th in the nation in yards allowed per rush on defense as they only allow 3.1 yards per carry. Syracuse's work will be cut out for them on defense as they will have to stack up with likely top five NFL Draft pick and UNC starting quarterback, Drake Maye, who has been an excellent college quarterback to this point. While Maye's success has been well documented, the Syracuse passing defense is one of the more underrated aspects of their team.
The Orange are currently ranked 25th in the nation in least yards allowed per passing attempt and 41st in sack percentage. Getting pressure on Maye and making him uncomfortable will be a huge key in this game because if Maye has all day to sit back and throw it could be a long day for the Orange's secondary. The Syracuse defense is also averaging two takeaways per game, and they will need to force a few turnovers if they want to keep this game close and have a chance to win.
UNC has been a bit loose with the ball at times as they turned the ball over twice against South Carolina and are coming off a clean game against Pittsburgh in which they did not turn it over once and could be due for some negative regression in the turnover department against a solid Syracuse defense.
On the offensive side of the ball, Garrett Shrader has a lot of experience and makes a lot of plays happen with his legs. His scrambling and ability to make plays with his legs should be a game changer for the Orange in this contest and I fully expect Syracuse to move the ball consistently with their strong ground game. With that being said, I am rolling with Syracuse +10 at -110 for 2U as my most confident College Football play of the day for today's action as I think The Orange will have UNC on the ropes.
Syracuse vs. UNC Pick
2U Syracuse +10 -110 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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