Syracuse football: predictions and poll for the Pinstripe Bowl

The day is finally here Syracuse Orange fans: It’s Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl gameday!

Many of you don’t seem too excited about the first bowl game since 2018, but it’s an opportunity for Syracuse to beat another Big Ten squad to cap the 2022 season. What’s going to happen when the Orange face the Minnesota Golden Gophers this afternoon?

Syracuse is a 9.5 point underdog according to DraftKings

Kevin

Minnesota 31, Syracuse 27

I’d tell people to watch this game with an eye on the returning players, but I know instead it’s going to be about the results. It’s surprising to me that Mohamed Ibrahim is playing in this game, but the fact that he is gives the Gophers the edge against a depleted Orange squad. Ibrahim has over 300 carries on the season so look for PJ Fleck to feed him again and again. Can the Orange’s new coordinators give the team a spark? Will the month off have let some players heal enough to be more effective? I think it’s a close loss in this one.

Mike

Syracuse 31, Minnesota 30

Somebody’s got to drink the Orange Kool-Aid, so might as well be me. With how thin they are, SU should probably lose this game by multiple scores. But on the flip side, this is the chance for every healthy body to either make their case for starting minutes next season or ensure that their college career ends on a high note. The Mob bends but doesn’t break on several key Minnesota drives, Jason Beck keeps the offense running smoothly, and Szmyt happens one final time as the clock 0:00 to secure the win.

Dom

Minnesota 27, Syracuse 20

I want to follow in Mike’s direction here, but I’m having trouble seeing how the Orange can top the Golden Gophers on defense. Mohamed Ibrahim is both a high-impact and big-volume rusher, and we’ve seen Syracuse struggle before against teams with an effective running game. Garrett Shrader has a tall task against a Minnesota team giving up the second-fewest passing yards per game in the Big Ten. Syracuse can hang around given Minnesota isn’t the greatest passing team in the world, but unless the Orange make some big plays, there are too many unknowns playing big minutes for Syracuse to come out on top.

Christian

Minnesota 34, Syracuse 17

You might be wondering why Mohamed Ibrahim is playing and Sean Tucker isn’t. That’s because Ibrahim is about to set multiple school records to add to his growing collection of school records. Syracuse needs to desperately hope that Garrett Shrader has his legs back so that he can support LeQuint Allen in the run game. If not, it’s going to be hard to generate anything against one of the best pass defenses in the Big Ten. We know Syracuse’s offensive line still struggles with an average defensive line, which doesn’t bode well for the Orange offense. Ibrahim is motivated, and even Minnesota’s mediocre pass attack could click with multiple players missing from Syracuse’s secondary. It just all adds up for a bad day for the Orange in the Bronx.

Steve

Minnesota 31. Syracuse 24

I think this is going to be a bad matchup, as expected, for the Orange. Minnesota can just hand the ball to Ibrahim and do his thing. The Orange may be able to keep pace on offense, especially with a month off Shrader to be healthy again, and a month of Allen getting the No. 1 reps at RB. If Shrader can’t run though, the Minny pass defense will likely swallow him up. All in all, I don’t see the Orange pulling it off. There’s a chance, but it’s not all that great.

Now it’s your turn to tell us what happens

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