Syracuse Orange vs Pittsburgh Panthers Prediction, 9/19/2020 College Football Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Syracuse Orange vs Pittsburgh Panthers

Date: Saturday, September 19, 2020

Location: Heinz Field

TV: ACC Network

Odds/Point Spread: Syracuse (+6)

Total/Over-Under: 51.5

Tommy DeVito and the Syracuse Orange are headed to Heinz Field on Saturday where they'll take on the Pittsburgh Panthers. Syracuse opens this game as 6-point underdogs. The total is set at 51.5.

Last week the Syracuse Orange took the field against the North Carolina Tar Heels and ended up taking the loss by a score of 31-6. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Orange was Tommy DeVito who went 13/31 with 112 yards by way of passing but wasn't able to throw a ball for a TD. He walked away from this game with no interceptions. DeVito led the team on the ground for that contest. His longest run of the day went for 15 yards but wasn't able to convert a rushing touchdown. He rushed for a total of 30 yards on 16 carries which gave him an average of 1.9 yards per carry. Taj Harris was the receiving yardage leader with a total of 64 yards on 5 receptions. He had an average of 12.8 yards per reception for that contest.

The Orange step onto the field after holding a record of 5-7 for last season. They were a team that had the capability to score points in the conference and I wouldn't expect it to change too much in this matchup. For total yards, they ranked 11th in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 90th in college football with 4,735 yards. In terms of scoring, they were one of the marginal teams in the country with an average of 28.3 points per game, ranking them 68th in college football. As a unit, they had an average of 154 rushing yards per game which was 7th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Orange had one of the most lackluster defenses in D-1 allowing 30.7 points per contest, ranking them 11th in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 87th in college football. When it comes to passing yards, the Orange allowed 2,887 yards. Opponents completed 53.4% of the throws they attempted against them and averaged 7.4 yards per try. In terms of rushing yards, Syracuse allowed 201.6 yards per game putting them 12th in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 107th in the country. They allowed teams to run for an average of 4.9 yards per carry which has them at 13th in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 101st in Division 1 overall. In total, they allowed 2,419 yards rushing through 12 contests.

Last week the Pittsburgh Panthers went up against the Austin Peay Governors and notched a win by a score of 55-0. Vincent Davis led the team in rushing in this game. His longest run of the day went for 11 yards and he ran for 2 TD's in this contest. He ran for a total of 43 yards on 11 carries which gave him an average of 3.9 yards per run. DJ Turner was the leader in receiving yardage with a total of 76 yards on 2 receptions. He averaged 38.0 yards per catch in this game. Taking the lead at quarterback for the Panthers was Kenny Pickett who went 14/20 with 277 yards by way of the pass and added 1 touchdown. He finished the game without throwing an interception.

The Panthers head into this matchup after finishing 8-5. Pittsburgh needed to do more to make teams respect their running game by averaging 119.2 yards per contest last year, ranking them 118th in D-1. As a unit, they had a total of 1,550 rushing yards through 13 contests, so they are going to want to make some changes to the ground game if they want to make teams respect them. The Panthers averaged 380.9 yards per contest overall ranking them 86th in college football and 10th in the ACC. When looking at their ability to score points, the Panthers sat at 13th in the Atlantic Coast Conference and 112th out of all the teams in the country by averaging 21.2 points per game.

The Panthers gave up 22.5 points per contest which put them at 3rd in the ACC and 36th in the country. In discussing points allowed, they gave up 293 points in total. In discussing yards rushing, they gave up 108.5 yards per game which put them at 11th in Division 1 and 1st in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Last year they conceded 1,411 yards rushing. Their passing defense was one of the middling groups in D-1. They conceded 204.5 passing yards per contest. For passing yards allowed per game, the Panthers ranked 4th in the conference.

Who will win tonight's Orange/Panthers college football game against the spread?

Guy's Pick: Take the Orange +6

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