Pitt-Syracuse
Time: 12:30 PM ET, Nov 23, 2013
Spread: SYR -1
M/L: SYR -118; PIT -102
O/U: 49.5
Odds courtesy of 5dimes
Pittsburgh lost 34-27 to North Carolina last week, and it isn’t expected to get any easier as the 5-5 Panthers travel to Syracuse to face the Orange, in a game college football oddsmakers at 5dimes favor the home team Orange by 1-point.
Syracuse is looking to improve to 4-3 in the ACC with a victory, while the Panthers are currently just 2-4 in ACC play. Pitt did score a big win over then-No. 23 ranked Notre Dame on Nov 9, and the team will close its season with another tough test when it hosts the Miami Hurricanes.
Pitt (5-5) has been most productive via the pass this season, ranking 63rd in the nation with 234.3 yards per game. The offense hasn’t been overly productive though, generating just 26.4 points per game, mainly because the team is able to get so little on the ground (just 113.8 rushing yards per game). The defense has been effective, allowing just 26.9 points per game, but it’s really just enough for a .500 record with how infrequently the team is finding the end zone.
Tom Savage has passed for 2,335 yards on the season and has a 61 percent completion ratio and 143.7 QB rating. The backfield has been pretty ineffective, though, with Isaac Bennett and James Conner each averaging less than five yards per carry. The tandem does have 12 TDs between them, though.
Syracuse is basically a polar opposite of Pitt offensively, with most of its damage being done on the run. The Orange average 196.7 yards per game carrying the football, but just get 174.9 on the pass. The offense isn’t overly effective, in all, generating 22.4 points per contest, but the Orange have averaged 19 points per game in their past three victories over Maryland, Wake Forest and NC State.
Terrel Hunt and Drew Allen have shared QB duties for the Orange and combined for 1,687 yards on the season. Hunt has a higher QB rating at 113.2, and he’s thrown seven TDs to Allen’s mere two.
Pitt Trends: UNDER 4-0 in last 4 following ATS loss; UNDER 8-1 in last 9 on turf; UNDER 6-1 in last 7 following SU loss.
Syracuse Trends: 5-0-1 ATS in last 6 following ATS loss; 8-1 ATS in last 9 after allowing more than 40 points in previous game; 7-1-1 ATS in last 9 at home.
Head-to-head: Panthers 3-0-1 ATS in last 4 meetings; Favorite 3-0-1 ATS in last 4 meetings; Home Team 3-1-1 ATS in last 5 meetings.
