Syracuse football: Orange open as favorites as hosts to NC State

It seems that the Syracuse Orange have squeaked past Bye Week U by the skin of their teeth this week. That’s great and all, but for the first time since 2001, the Orange are hosting a ranked team in the JMA Wireless Dome while they, themselves are ranked. The matchup against the #15 NC State Wolfpack this weekend puts the undefeated record of #18 Syracuse on the line in a real test.

With the Orange gutting out two wins earlier in the year against the Purdue Boilermakers and Virginia Cavaliers, it was unsure what this team was. With a blowout win against Wagner, we... still don’t know what this team is. Apparently the oddsmakers know something we don’t, as DraftKings Sportsbook has the Orange opening as 5 point favorites against the Wolfpack. At present Syracuse is 3-1 against the spread and have hit the over ³⁄₄ times (I’m not including that Wagner game in anything at this point).

The over-under was also set at 44 (fitting) which is deceiving when you look at what the matchup has in store. There is an injury unknown with both Devin Leary, NC State’s standout quarterback as well as potential injuries within their running back stable. Both of these defenses are stout, as Christian mentioned on the podcast, and could be a good recipe for not putting points on the board in this one.

Unfortunately for the Orange, history isn’t on their side in this one. NC State has won 13 of the 15 matchups between the two schools, including the last three on the trot. If you look at it since the Orange have joined the ACC, it’s 7 of 9, so slightly improved?

Do we think the Orange can cover? Let us know in the comments.

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.