The Syracuse Orange (3-2, 1-1) are off to Dallas to face the SMU Mustangs (2-2, 0-0) for just the second time in program history. The Orange are looking to bounce back after the blowout loss to Duke while
the Mustangs are coming off a bye week. SMU is a 17.5 point favorite on FanDuel, and here’s what we’re predicting for tomorrow.
Kevin (3-2): SMU 33, Syracuse 23
I expect the Syracuse offense to be better prepared this week, but red zone issues turn into field goals and that’s what keeps the Orange chasing the Mustangs all afternoon. Yasin Willis gets more touches but the Orange running game struggles to find consistency and Kevin Jennings overcomes a first half interception to throw for two scores in the second half to ice the game. Syracuse heads into the bye week at 3-3 with some work to do on both sides of the ball.
Casey (2-3): SMU 27, Syracuse 20
Last week’s showing really seemed to deflate fans’ moods around this Cuse team. SMU isn’t as strong as last year, but with Kevin Jennings still under center, they’re capable of taking advantage of the defensive issues we saw last week. I think the Orange will run the ball better, and Rickie Collins shows improvement starting strong with a 14–0 lead. But SMU stays more consistent and pulls away late for a 27–20 win.
Augie (3-1): SMU 41, Syracuse 28
The Ponies can score and love to play in track meets. Coming off a loss and then a BYE week they are going to be hungry and in search of a victory. From what I saw from the Syracuse defense against Duke last week, they are going to struggle with the ground attack that SMU is going to provide. With that being said, I do think the offense will perform better. Rickie Collins is going to look more comfortable and while Syracuse can’t get the win, they have a lot of positives offensively to work with heading into their BYE week.
Dom (3-2): SMU 31, Syracuse 21
The over-three-score spread is a bit drastic. Syracuse should be much improved after being embarrassed at home (hopefully, on both sides of the ball). That said, SMU has scored at least 24 points in all four of its games so far. Its defense is also one of the best in the ACC at stopping teams in the red zone, which could make life difficult for Collins and company. The Orange will definitely play better, and two things are going for the team: SMU is coming off a bye (if you believe in the whole “rest versus rust” debate) and is very prone to self-inflicted wounds (mainly penalties; second-most total yards forked up in the conference), and the Orange offense shows some life, but the defense ultimately can’t stop the Mustangs enough from galloping away with the win.
Max (3-1): SMU 35, Syracuse 17
We knew there’d be growing pains in Steve Angeli’s absence, but none of us knew it would be that drastic. The good news is that the Orange offense can only improve, but it won’t be enough against a Mustangs team that will run the ball at will versus a subpar SU defensive line. SMU is averaging nearly 35 points per contest, and that’s while slightly underperforming at 2-2. Give me the home team by three scores.
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Now it’s your turn
