The No. 17 Florida State Seminoles battle the Syracuse Orange this week in a game that will feature the ACC’s leading passer, Everett Golson (1,659 yards, 11 TDs). Things have continued to look bleak for Syracuse (3-4), who were on the losing end of four straight. The game kicks off Saturday, Oct 31 at 12:00 p.m. ET and will be shown on ABC.
In last week’s matchup, Florida State lost to Georgia Tech 22-16. Kermit Whitfield had a good performance in the loss, grabbing six receptions for 61 yards. Syracuse also came up short, suffering a narrow defeat against Pittsburgh 23-20. Steve Ishmael had a huge game for the Orange, pulling in seven receptions for 114 yards and one TD. Jordan Fredericks put up 91 rushing yards on 12 carries.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is unavailable currently and the Orange are a big 19-point underdog.
Sitting at 6-1 Straight Up (SU) and 3-4 Against The Spread (ATS), the Seminoles will look to improve heading into Week 9. In their five most recent matchups, the Seminoles went 4-1 SU and 2-3 ATS. When the Seminoles pass the ball, they do so at a high percentage. They complete passes 67.6% of the time they throw, 16th in the nation. Turning to the Seminoles defense, there are several areas to keep an eye on. The Orange are not likely to throw the ball very often at Florida State. They are one of the least-effective passing teams in the nation, averaging 178.4 passing yards per game. Florida State can likely capitalize on how the Orange are one of the worst in the country at preventing scoring in the fourth quarter, allowing an average of 10.6 points.
As for their opponent, the Orange head into Week 9 with records of 5-2 ATS and 3-4 SU. Over their last five games, the Orange have a SU record of 1-4 and a 3-2 record ATS for those betting with them. Syracuse has been good at avoiding penalties this season. The team only receives 4.4 per game on average, the 10th-fewest in the country.
Predictions: SU Winner – Florida State, ATS Winner – Florida State
Notes
Florida State is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games.
Florida State is 23-2 SU in its last 25 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Florida State’s last 6 games.
Florida State is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Florida State’s last 13 games at home.
Syracuse is 3-2 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. Florida State is 6-1 SU when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
Dating back to last season, Florida State is 13-1 SU against ACC opponents, while Syracuse is just 2-9 SU against conference foes.
The Florida State rushing attack is ranked only 65th in the country, while the Syracuse run defense is ranked 43rd. The Orange rushing game is ranked just 78th, compared to the 35th-ranked run defense of the Seminoles.
