In a battle of two schools that like to run the football, Coach Dino Babers and the Syracuse Orange (+4.5) are set to play host to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (-4.5) at the Carrier Dome. Interested parties can catch the action live on CHSS and this conference matchup gets underway at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Betting Preview: Syracuse Orange vs. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Syracuse is the home underdog in this ACC game and is currently being given 4.5 points. In order to take the favorite, moneyline gamblers would currently have to spend $200 to net $100 back on the Demon Deacons (-200). The Orange are getting +170 moneyline odds. If one team can create a bunch of points early it’ll produce a decent in-game betting scenario. Oddsmakers have set the over/under (O/U) at 64.5 points.
The game’s total has moved upward after initially being set at 64. The opening line of 4.5 hasn’t budged.
The Demon Deacons are 5-5-1 against the spread (ATS) and have gained 2.8 units so far. They’ve been a good under bet and have posted an O/U record of 4-7.
The Orange have lost 1.9 units this season. The team is 3-7 ATS and has an even O/U record of 5-5.
The Demon Deacons are 8-3 straight up (SU), including 5-3 SU against ACC opponents. The Orange are 4-7 SU overall and 1-6 SU in conference play.
These two teams faced off last year with the final result being a 41-24 victory for Syracuse.
The Demon Deacons are looking to keep things going after a solid 39-27 win over Duke last weekTheir defense allowed the Blue Devils to run for 127 yards on 31 rush attempts. Noah Gray had a productive day for the Blue Devils in that one with 76 yards and a score on seven catches. On the offensive side, Jamie Newman completed only 14 passes on 25 attempts for 284 yards and one touchdown. Newman (144 rushing yards on 29 attempts, one TD) also spearheaded the ground attack and was complemented by Cade Carney (71 yards on 19 carries, one TD). Kendall Hinton (six receptions, 189 yards, one TD) and Jack Freudenthal (three catches, 27 yards) handled the receiving duties in the win.
One game ago, Louisville knocked off this Syracuse crew by a score of 56-34. The Orange defensive unit allowed the Cardinals to kill the clock by running for 370 yards on 41 rush attempts, including three rush TDs. Javian Hawkins shredded the defense, recording 233 rushing yards and a score on 23 attempts for Louisville. For Syracuse, Tommy DeVito completed 14-of-21 passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Moe Neal (163 yards on 20 rush attempts, one TD) and Jarveon Howard (33 yards on 10 carries, one TD) spearheaded the running game while Taj Harris (six receptions, 58 yards) and Trishton Jackson (three catches, 64 yards, one TD) led the receiving corps in the loss.
Each team has a similar run-pass ratio on the season. Wake Forest’s run the ball on 56.6 percent of its offensive possessions while Syracuse has a rush percentage of 55.3. The Demon Deacons have run for 177.9 yards/game (including 170.5 per game versus Atlantic Coast opponents) and have 17 scores on the ground this year. The Orange are totaling 151.6 rush yards per game (143.6 in conference) and have 15 total rushing TDs.
It appears that the Demon Deacons ought to hold an edge when it comes to applying pressure, since their offensive line has given up just 33 sacks while the D-line registered 25 sacks. The Orange, on the other hand, have allowed 37 sacks and their defense has sacked opposing QBs just 43 times.
The Deacs offense has logged 286.5 yards per game in the air overall (255.8 per game versus conference opposition) and has 26 passing TDs so far. The Orange have recorded 238.7 pass yards per contest (221 in the ACC) and have 21 total pass scores.
Defensively, Wake Forest has allowed opponents to run for an average of 161 yards and pass for 245.9 yards per game. The Syracuse D has allowed 248.1 yards per game to opposing passers and 206.2 yards per game on the ground. Both teams allow similar adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) to the opposition, as the Deacs have given up an ANY/A of 6.56 to opposing QBs, while the Orange are allowing an ANY/A of 6.26.
Offensively, Newman is up to 2,581 passing yards this season, and has connected on 64 percent of his 307 attempts with 23 scores through the air and only seven interceptions. Newman has an 8.11 adjusted net yards per pass attempt overall, although that number sits at 5.35 over the last two outings.
Tommy DeVito has connected on 205-of-319 passes for 2,228 yards, 17 TDs and five INTs for Syracuse. His ANY/A sits at 5.76 for the year and 8.03 over his past two outings.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs. Syracuse Orange Free NCAA Betting Tip
SU Winner: Wake Forest, ATS Winner: Wake Forest, O/U: Under
Team Betting Trends
- The O/U for Wake Forest’s previous game was set at 50. The over cashed in the team’s 39-27 victory over Duke.
- As a team, Wake Forest has rushed for 3.5 yards per attempt over its past three games and 3.9 over its last two.
- Syracuse has averaged 5.2 yards per carry over its last three outings and 5.8 over its last two.
- Syracuse has lost eight fumbles this season while Wake Forest has lost two.
- Over its last three games, Wake Forest is 1-2 ATS and the under cashed in two of those three.
- The Over/Under for Syracuse’s last matchup was 64. The over cashed in the 56-34 defeat to Louisville.
- In its last three matches, Syracuse is 1-2 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
- The Demon Deacons offense has recorded 12 pass plays of 40+ yards, while the Orange have put up 13 such plays.
- The Wake Forest defense has allowed seven pass plays of 40 or more yards, while Syracuse has given up 12 such plays.
- The Wake Forest offense has created 16 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while Syracuse has created 15 such runs.
- The Demon Deacons defense has allowed 14 rushing plays of 20 or more yards, while the Orange have given up 22 such runs.
- The Syracuse defense has recorded 29 sacks on the year while Wake Forest has 28.
