Washington State (8-4) vs Syracuse (9-3)
Game Info: Friday, December 27, 2024 at 8:00 pm (Snapdragon Stadium)
Betting Odds: Washington State +16.5 / Syracuse -16.5 --- Over/Under: 60.5 Click Here for the Latest Odds
Where to Watch: ESPN
The Syracuse Orange and the Washington State Cougars meet in the Holiday Bowl in college football action from Snapdragon Stadium on Friday. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Syracuse vs. Washington State prediction.
Syracuse Recap
The Syracuse Orange come into the bowl game on behalf of the ACC after finishing the regular season at 9-3 overall. The Orange will be looking for their first bowl victory since 2018 under Dino Babers.
Orange Looking To Avoid Third Straight Bowl Loss
The Orange are intact for the most part in this bowl game, with head coach Fran Brown saying “we don’t opt out around here.” That means that the expectation will be that almost everyone from Syracuse will play, except for starting CB Jayden Bellamy, who hit the transfer portal, and potentially starting C J’Onre Reed, who missed the final game of the year with an ankle injury as did Umari Hatcher at WR. Kyle McCord will be back at QB after finishing top-10 in Heisman voting, after throwing for 4,326 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, as will LeQuint Allen who rushed for 901 yards and 14 TDs. The Orange will also likely have their trio of top receivers in Jackson Meeks, Trebor Pena and Oronde Gadsden II. Defensively, Justin Barron will likely play after logging 81 total tackles as well this season.
Why the Syracuse Orange will win
- Syracuse has won eight of its last nine games against non-conference opponents.
- Washington State has lost seven of its last eight games in December.
- Washington State has failed to cover the spread in each of its last eight games in December.
- Syracuse has covered the spread in five of its last six games in December.
Washington State Recap
The Washington State Cougars will be looking for a positive result in this bowl game after finishing 8-4 overall this season. The Cougars will be looking for their first bowl game win since 2018 when they won the Alamo Bowl.
Cougars Looking Completely Different Ahead Of Bowl Game
There’s teams that miss some players with opt-outs and transfer portals, and then there’s the mass exodus that Washington State’s dealing with. Head Coach Jake Dickert took the job at Wake Forest, OC Ben Arbuckle went to Oklahoma and now Wazzu is without their head coach, OC, DC, QB Coach and RB Coach. Starting QB John Mateer? Gone to Oklahoma. Starting RB Wayshawn Parker? Gone to Utah. WR Kris Hutson? Gone to Arizona. The Cougars lost their starting right tackles and six starters on the defensive side of the ball as well. It looks like Zevi Eckhaus will be starting at QB for Washington State, but everything else feels very by the minute for the Cougars in this game, so keep monitoring statuses getting closer to kickoff.
Why the Washington State Cougars will win
- The underdog has won each of Washington State's last three games.
- Syracuse has lost five of its last six games against non-conference opponents at neutral venues.
- Syracuse has failed to cover the spread in five of its last six games as a favorite against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Washington State has covered the spread in four of its last five games against AP-ranked teams.
Syracuse vs. Washington State Prediction
I’m on Syracuse here. It’s a massive number, and maybe you’d be just be better off playing a team total on the Orange, but Washington State’s cupboards are barren to put it nicely, and it’s entirely possible that the situation gets worse before it gets better. The Orange came on strong offensively to close out the year, and I think that the Orange could run away with this one as it’s just felt like Washington State’s mailed it in on this bowl game. Give me the Orange.
Chris’s Pick Syracuse -16.5
AUTHOR: Chris Ruffolo
