No. 17 Syracuse Orange are coming into the Camping World Bowl as underdogs as they prepare to battle the No. 15 West Virginia Mountaineers. Kickoff for this big game is pegged for 5:15 p.m. ET and fans can catch the action by tuning in to ESPN.
West Virginia Mountaineers at Syracuse Orange Betting Preview
Syracuse is a live dog in this one and is currently getting 7 points. In order to take the favorite, moneyline gamblers would currently have to put up $300 to win $100 back on the Mountaineers (-300). The Orange are getting +220 moneyline odds. If one team can get out in front early it will create a reasonable betting opportunity in-game. Vegas has set the over/under (O/U) at a seriously-high 75.5 points.
Since the game’s total was originally set at 74, the sharp action has been siding with the over.
The Mountaineers are 7-3-1 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 0.3 units so far in 2018. The team has posted an O/U record of 7-4. The Orange have been a pleasant surprise for moneyline bettors this season, gaining 4.7 units. They’re 8-4 ATS and the over has hit in seven of their games.
The Mountaineers are 8-3 straight up (SU) in 2018 while the Orange are 9-3 SU.
The Mountaineers are most-recently reeling from a thin 59-56 defeat to Oklahoma on November 23. Will Grier completed 32 passes for 539 yards and four touchdowns. Kennedy McKoy (81 rushing yards on 16 attempts, one TD) and Martell Pettaway (76 yards on 15 carries, two TDs) provided the ground attack while David Sills V (eight receptions, 131 yards, two TDs) and Gary Jennings Jr. (seven catches, 225 yards, two TDs) handled the receiving duties in the defeat.
The Syracuse Orange are coming off of a big 42-21 win over Boston College. The team’s defense allowed the Eagles to run for 105 yards on 32 rush attempts. Jeff Smith had a productive showing in the defeat, posting 69 yards on one catch for Boston College. For Syracuse, Eric Dungey completed 21-of-34 passes for 362 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Dontae Strickland (129 rushing yards on 20 attempts) and the signal-caller Dungey (34 yards on 18 carries, three TDs) spearheaded the running attack as Sean Riley (five receptions, 115 yards, one TD) and Nykeim Johnson (four catches, 29 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the win.
West Virginia’s run the ball on 48.9 percent of its offensive possessions this year while Syracuse has an overall rush percentage of 56.4 percent. The Mountaineers have rushed for 162 yards/game and have 21 touchdowns on the ground this year. The Orange are averaging 206 rushing yards per game and have 35 total rush TDs.
It seems like the Mountaineers could have an advantage in terms of efficiency in the ground game. Their backfield has produced 4.6 yards per carry while their defense is allowing 4.1 yards per rush attempt to opponents. The Orange have rushed for 4.4 yards per carry and allowed a YPC of 4.3 to opponents.
The Mountaineers offensive scheme has averaged a ridiculous 358 yards through the air overall and has 38 passing TDs so far. The Orange have put up 262 pass yards per game and have 21 total pass scores.
West Virginia has let opponents run for an average of 151 yards and throw for 255 yards per game. The Syracuse D has given up 263.0 yards per game to opposing passers and 163.8 yards per game to opposing runners. The Orange are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 5.51 to opposing QBs, while the Mountaineers have allowed a 6.51 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Grier has already put up 3,500 yards this year, and has connected on 68 percent of his 349 attempts with 35 passing scores and only eight interceptions. He’s got a sparkling 9.94 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 9.74 over the last two outings.
Eric Dungey has completed 204-of-337 passes for 2,555 yards, 17 TDs and six INTs for Syracuse. His ANY/A sits at 6.98 for the year and 8.03 over his past two games.
Free NCAA Betting Tip: West Virginia Mountaineers at Syracuse Orange
SU Winner – West Virginia, ATS Winner – West Virginia, O/U – Under
Click Here to Start Betting Today!
Notes
Betting Trends
The Syracuse offense has lost six fumbles this season while West Virginia has lost seven.
The Syracuse defensive unit has created 38 sacks on the year while West Virginia has just 23.
West Virginia has averaged 4.2 yards per carry over its last three contests and 4.2 over its last two.
Syracuse has averaged 4.3 yards per carry over its last three outings and 3.3 over its last two.
Syracuse has won six of its last seven games SU, with a -33-point defeat to Notre Dame on November 17th representing its only loss over that span.
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