The No. 22 Eagles of Boston College (-7) are gearing up to host their ACC counterpart Syracuse Orange at Alumni Stadium. ESPN will televise the action and this crucial daytime matchup is scheduled to kick off at 12:00 p.m. ET.
Syracuse Orange vs. Boston College Eagles Betting Preview
Syracuse is the road underdog in this ACC game and is currently receiving 7 points. If they are wanting to take the moneyline, gamblers would currently need to put up $300 in order to win $100 back on the Eagles (-300). The Orange are getting +220 moneyline odds. It appears that there should be multiple good live betting opportunities in the showdown, and oddsmakers have placed the over/under (O/U) at 57.5 points.
The game’s O/U has been driven higher after opening at 57. The original line has stayed consistent.
The Orange are 7-4 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 3.1 units so far in 2018. The team has posted an Over-Under record of 6-5. The Eagles are down 0.4 units for moneyline bettors this season. They’re 7-4 ATS and own an O/U record of 5-6.
The Orange are 8-3 straight up (SU), including 5-2 SU against conference opponents. The Eagles are 7-4 SU overall and 4-3 SU in conference play.
The Orange are reeling from a 36-3 defeat to Notre Dame last week. The passing game could’ve been sharper as Tommy Devito completed only 14-of-31 passes for 105 yards and two interceptions. Moe Neal (74 yards on 18 rush attempts) and Dontae Strickland (50 yards on eight carries) led the ground attack in the loss while Taj Harris (five receptions, 78 yards) and Sean Riley (four catches, 15 yards) handled the receiving duties.
A week ago, Florida State took care of this Boston College team by a score of 22-21. The Eagles defense allowed the Seminoles to pass for 322 yards while rushing for 156 yards. Cam Akers had a productive outing in the win, posting 110 rushing yards and a score on 14 attempts for Florida State. For Boston College, Anthony Brown completed 18-of-36 passes for 297 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. AJ Dillon (116 rushing yards on 37 attempts, two TDs) led the ground game in the defeat while Kobay White (seven receptions, 121 yards) and Jeff Smith (three catches, 59 yards, one TD) led the pass-catching attack.
Syracuse has run the ball on 55.8 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Boston College has a rush percentage of 63.7 percent. The Orange have produced 207 rush yards/game (including 182 per game against Atlantic Coast opponents) and have 32 touchdowns via handoffs this year. The Eagles are putting up 197 rush yards per game (167 in conference) and have 23 total rushing TDs.
The Orange offensive scheme has logged 252 yards per game through the air overall (271 per game versus conference opposition) and has 18 passing TDs so far. The Eagles have put up 212 pass yards per outing (209.9 in the ACC) and have 22 total pass scores.
Defensively, Syracuse has allowed 169 rush yards and 264 pass yards per game. The Boston College defense has allowed 237.5 yards per game to opposing passers and 143.8 yards per game to opposing runners. The Eagles are allowing an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 4.41 to opponents, while the Orange have given up a 5.55 ANY/A.
Offensively, Dungey has put up 2,011 passing yards this season, and has completed 61 percent of his 280 attempts with 13 scores through the air and five interceptions. Dungey’s got a 6.53 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number is 3.97 over the past two games.
The Orange will probably try to control tempo by pounding the defense with their running backs. Along with Taj Harris (407 yards, two TDs), Moe Neal (631 rush yards, three rush TDs) and Jarveon Howard (239 rush yards, five rush TDs) have brought significant production to the offensive scheme for Syracuse.
In the home locker room, Anthony Brown has connected on 139-of-245 passes for 1,864 yards, 17 TDs and seven INTs. Brown’s ANY/A sits at 6.88 for the year and 5.44 over his last two outings.
The Eagles should also look to control the clock by turning to their backfield. In addition to Kobay White (435 receiving yards, three receiving TDs), AJ Dillon (1,013 rush yards, 10 rush TDs, one receiving TD) and Tommy Sweeney (282 receiving yards and three TDs) have seen a lot of action recently.
When these two teams met last year, Boston College knocked off Syracuse by four touchdowns 42-14.
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Notes
Team Betting Notes
The O/U for Syracuse’s last game was set at 63. The under cashed in the team’s 36-3 defeat to Notre Dame.
Syracuse has rushed for 4.6 yards per attempt over its past three games and 4.8 over its last two.
Boston College has averaged 2.7 yards per carry over its last three outings and only 1.6 over its last two.
Boston College has lost eight fumbles this season while Syracuse has lost six.
In its last three matches, Syracuse is 2-1 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
The Over/Under for Boston College’s last match was set at 49.5. The under cashed in the 22-21 loss to Florida State.
In its last three contests, Boston College is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in each of those three.
The Orange offense has tallied 11 pass plays of 40 or more yards, while the Eagles have put up six such plays.
The Syracuse defense has allowed 13 pass plays of 40 yards or more, while Boston College has given up five such plays.
The Syracuse offense has created 15 rushing plays of 20 yards or more, while Boston College has created 22 such runs.
The Orange defense has allowed 22 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Eagles have given up nine such runs.
The Syracuse defensive unit has sacked opposing QBs 35 times this season. Boston College has registered 31 sacks.
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