The No. 19 Pittsburgh Panthers look to continue their undefeated season with a matchup against the Syracuse Orange in ACC action on Thursday night. Both teams enter rested as well with byes last week. Each team last played on Oct. 12 with Pittsburgh defeating California, 17-15, to improve to 6-0, including 2-0 in the ACC. Syracuse knocked off NC State, 24-17, to improve to 5-1 and 2-1 in the ACC. Pitt is currently on one of the largest single-season turnarounds in the country, already doubling its win total after going 3-9 last season. Syracuse seeks its second road victory over a ranked opponent this month after knocking off No. 25 UNLV, 44-41, in overtime on Oct. 4.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Acrisure Stadium on Thursday. Pittsburgh is a 5.5-point favorite in the latest Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh odds from SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 62.5. Before making any Pittsburgh vs. Syracuse picks, you need to see the college football predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times. Since its inception, it has generated a betting profit of well over $2,000 for $100 players on its top-rated college spread football picks, and it is a sizzling 14-7 on all top-rated picks over the past four weeks of this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps has seen strong returns.
Now, the model has dialed in on Pitt vs. Syracuse and just revealed its coveted picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are several college football betting lines from sports betting sites for Syracuse vs. Pitt:
- Pittsburgh vs. Syracuse spread: Pittsburgh -5.5
- Pittsburgh vs. Syracuse spread over/under: 62.5 points
- Pittsburgh vs. Syracuse spread money line: Pittsburgh -216, Syracuse +176
- Cuse: The Orange are 2-0 ATS as an underdog this season and won both games outright
- Pitt: The Panthers are 5-1 ATS this season
- Pittsburgh vs. Syracuse picks: See picks here
- Pittsburgh vs. Syracuse streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)
Why Syracuse can cover
The Orange are led by one of the top quarterbacks in college football with Kyle McCord taking over as a senior transfer from Ohio State. McCord is seventh in college football in passing yards (2,160 yards) and he's thrown for more than 330 yards in all six games this season. McCord is averaging 360 passing yards per game and at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds, he's a difficult quarterback to bring down. He's thrown for multiple touchdowns in all six games this season and his 19 passing touchdowns are tied for fifth in college football.
Syracuse has ranked no higher than 70th in scoring in each of the last four seasons, but McCord has changed that. The Orange are 32nd in the country at 32.2 points per game while averaging the 14th-most yards per contest (456.2). They have the second-best third-down percentage in the nation (55.1%) to put together sustained drives for scoring opportunities. Syracuse already has one road victory over a top-25 program in knocking off No. 25 UNLV, 44-41, in overtime on Oct. 4 and with McCord leading the offense, the Orange can certainly accomplish that again. See who to back at SportsLine.
Why Pittsburgh can cover
The Panthers are coming off their worst season of Pat Narduzzi's 10 years as head coach of the program, finishing 3-9 with his first losing record at the school. But Pittsburgh has quickly proven last year was a one-off poor campaign with a 6-0 start and climbed to No. 19 in the polls this week, its highest ranking of the season. The Panthers' stout run defense has been a key to this year's success, allowing just 3.0 yards per rush, which ranks ninth in college football. They are allowing the 18th-fewest yards per play (4.6) with four different players having at least three sacks this season, including defensive lineman Nate Matlack, one of their top players acquired from the transfer portal from Kansas State.
The Panthers also have a stud quarterback of their own. Redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Holstein has thrown for more than 300 yards in four of six games this year with at least three passing touchdowns in five of his first six games. He's also averaging 44.3 rushing yards per game as a quarterback giving defensive coordinators nightmares this season. At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, Holstein has the combination of size, arm strength and athleticism to facilitate a top offense. See who to back at SportsLine.
How to make Pittsburgh vs. Syracuse picks
SportsLine's model is leaning Under on the total, projecting 56 combined points. It also says one side hits well over 50% of the time. You can see the model's pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh, and which side of the spread hits well over 50% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up well over $2,000 on top-rated spread picks since its inception, and find out.
