Bryan Armetta shares his preview, prediction, and pick for CFB Week 8’s game between the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Syracuse Orange.
Old-school Northeast rivals are set to clash on Saturday night. Pittsburgh is riding high following its 34-31 win over Florida State. The same can’t be said for Syracuse, losers in two straight.
Orange head coach Fran Brown has delivered some impressive upsets during his brief two-year tenure. Will the Panthers eke out a road victory this evening? Below is my prediction and pick for College Football Week 8’s game between the Pittsburgh Panthers and the Syracuse Orange.
Pitt enters this contest as 9.5-point favorites (-115) over Syracuse, with the over/under set at 54.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Panthers are favored at -375 on the moneyline.
Pittsburgh vs. Syracuse prediction, preview
It’s been a rough few weeks for Cuse, especially under center. Starting quarterback Steve Angeli suffered a season-ending torn Achilles in Week 4 vs. Clemson. That’s left the Orange with a diminished offense under backup Rickie Collins. It’s been a rough season for the junior so far. Through four games, he’s thrown for 607 yards and three touchdowns while tossing five interceptions. That includes a three-pick performance during last Saturday’s 31-18 loss to SMU.
Clearly, limiting turnovers is crucial if Syracuse is going to keep things close, let alone win. That means establishing a presence on the ground. Running back Yasin Willis has picked up 337 yards, but he’s done so on an inefficient 78 carries (4.3 YPC). Against SMU, he only averaged 2.7 yards per touch. Things won’t get any easier tonight against a stout Pittsburgh defensive front. The Panthers have allowed an ACC-best 2.2 yards per attempt to their opponents.
The big story for Pitt in this one is quarterback Mason Heintschel. Last week, the freshman took down FSU in his first-ever road start. During the game, he threw for 321 yards, ran for 64 more, and tossed two touchdowns. Heintschel will need to exercise better ball control; the Seminoles notched two interceptions. However, it’s not as if he’ll be facing an elite secondary tonight. Syracuse has coughed up 291.2 passing yards to opposing passers, third-worst in the ACC.
Somehow, the Orange have been even worse at defending the run. Cuse has surrendered a conference-worst mark of 4.98 yards per rush. That should have Pittsburgh running back Desmond Reid licking his chops. When healthy, the senior is one of the ACC’s most dynamic players. Through four games this season, the 21-year-old has accumulated 413 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns.
Pittsburgh vs. Syracuse pick, best bet
It’s difficult to put any faith in Syracuse right now. The shift in offense from Angeli’s big arm to Collins’ dual-threat scrambling hasn’t led to great results. In comparison, Heintschel seems to have reinvigorated a dormant Pittsburgh squad. Expect the freshman to carry that momentum into the Dome tonight.