Syracuse football: predictions and poll for Purdue

The Syracuse Orange (2-0) take to the road for the first time in the 2023 season tomorrow night. Waiting to give them an inhospitable welcome are the Purdue Boilermakers (1-1) as the teams will square off in primetime on NBC. Let’s get to the predictions....

Kevin: Syracuse 31, Purdue 27

I’m concerned about the health of the Orange offensive line, but I think they’ll be able to move the ball through the air on Purdue. On the other side of the ball, we have yet to see how Rocky Long’s version of the 3-3-5 handles a mobile QB, but we know that’s given Syracuse problems in the past. In the end, I think Syracuse has the edge at QB and that makes the difference in a tightly-contested game.

Steve: Syracuse 28, Purdue 20

If Syracuse’s offense can take advantage of a relatively weak secondary and downfield vulnerability, this one may get out of hand, but I’m assuming it stays tight in a relatively back and forth game. Not as back and forth as the tail end of last year, but a more evenly paced matchup. It’s a bellwether for Syracuse and I think they’ll be up to the task for this one.

Mike: Syracuse 34, Purdue 23

The Boilermakers really aren’t all that good on paper, but the crowd noise alone probably activates the Orange false-start machine enough to disrupt their offense at least once. Like last year, expect this game to start off slow on both sides before the offenses start clicking. Keep an eye out for some mixed-in outside runs in a pass-heavy gameplan to change the tempo in SU’s favor.

Dom: Syracuse 31, Purdue 24

Based off our projections, it’s clear this is going to be a shootout on offense — it was the case last year and it appears to be what will likely happen this time around. Syracuse’s offensive line, in particular, will be tested against a Big 10 opponent in a crazy road environment like West Lafayette. With that said, Purdue’s offense on paper is definitely below its performance in 2022, and that will ultimately be the difference-maker in this one.

Max: Syracuse 31, Purdue 28

A clean sweep across the board. There’s no Charlie Jones to torch Syracuse for 188 receiving yards this year, and that’ll be the difference in this one. The Orange defense will make halftime adjustments to shut down the legs of Hudson Card and Devin Mockobee, and Garrett Shrader will settle in as the game progresses. Brady Denaburg will drill a game-winning field goal to seal another 3-0 start for SU.

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Now it’s your turn: