Syracuse Orange vs Washington State Cougars Betting Pick & Prediction DirecTV Holiday Bowl

FOX will be handling the television broadcast as the Syracuse Orange and Washington State Cougars face off in the DirecTV Holiday Bowl. The game is set for Friday, December 27th, at 8:00 ET, and Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego will serve as the neutral site. Syracuse comes in with a 9-3 record, while Washington State is 8-4. The Orange are -5.5-point favorites, and the over/under line is currently 61.5 points.

SYRACUSE ORANGE VS WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Syracuse Orange -5.5

This game will be played at Snapdragon Stadium at 8:00 ET on Friday, December 27th.

WHY BET THE SYRACUSE ORANGE:

• We have the Syracuse Orange winning this one by a score of 38 to 31
• Not only do we have the Syracuse Orange winning straight-up, we have them covering the spread at -5.5
• Look for this game to go over the line of 61.5 points

Will The Syracuse Orange Take Care Of Business As The Favorite?

Syracuse heads into their Week 1 game against Washington State with a 9-3 record. They’ve gone 4-1 at home and 2-2 on the road this season. The Orange have been favored in four of their 12 games, going 3-1 as the favorite and 3-2 as the underdog.

They have a +3.9 average scoring margin and a 4-5 record against the spread. Syracuse is 1-3 ATS as the favorite but 3-2 ATS as the underdog. At home, they are 0-3 ATS as the favorite and 2-0 as the underdog.

The over/under line for this week is 61.5 points. Syracuse’s average over/under line this season is 55.9 points, and their games have averaged 61.2 points. They are 4-4-1 against the over/under, with nine games having lower lines than this week’s total.

Syracuse’s offense has been centered around their passing game, leading the nation in passing attempts, completions, and yards per game. They average 363.1 yards through the air and are ranked 28th in scoring, with 32.6 points per game. Our power rankings place them as the 20th best offense heading into week 1.

Kyle McCord is the team’s quarterback, throwing for 4,326 yards and 29 touchdowns, though he has 12 interceptions and a passer rating of 97. Syracuse ranks 10th in third-down conversions, with a 48.9% success rate. On the ground, they average 94.8 rushing yards per game.

Syracuse’s defense has allowed an average of 28.7 points per game this season, including 38 points in their latest matchup against Miami. They gave up 503 total yards, with 349 yards coming through the air and 154 on the ground, while allowing three rushing touchdowns and two passing scores.

Opponents have averaged 216 passing yards per game against Syracuse, completing 65.6% of their passes. Syracuse’s defense has faced the 16th fewest rushing attempts in the country, allowing 153.8 rushing yards per game.

Will Home Field Advantage Help The Washington State Cougars Upset The Syracuse Orange?

Washington State enters Week 1 against Syracuse with an 8-4 record. They’ve gone 3-1 at home and 3-3 on the road this season. The Cougars have been favored in seven of their 12 games, posting a 4-3 record as the favorite.

Against the spread, Washington State is 5-5, with a 3-1 record at home and 2-4 on the road. They’ve gone 3-4 ATS as the favorite and have a +8.7 average scoring margin this season.

The over/under line for this week is 61.5 points. Washington State’s games have averaged 64.8 points, with their over/under record at 4-6. On average, their games have exceeded the line by 1.1 points, and seven games have had higher totals than this week’s line.

Washington State’s offense ranks 10th in the nation in points per game, averaging 36.8, and they are 33rd in our offensive power rankings heading into this week. Quarterback John Mateer has thrown for 3,139 yards and has a passer rating of 113, leading the team to 9th in the nation in passer rating. Mateer has 29 touchdown passes and seven interceptions this season.

Kyle Williams has been Mateer’s top target, with 1,026 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns on 60 catches. Washington State is 25th in passing yards per game, averaging 268.8, and they are 22nd in completion percentage at 65.2%.

Washington State’s defense has struggled this season, allowing an average of 28.1 points per game. They rank 121st in the nation against the run, giving up 174 rushing yards per game. Opposing quarterbacks have posted a passer rating of 85.1, completing 62.1% of their passes and averaging 255.3 passing yards per game against the Cougars.

In their recent game, a 15-14 loss to Wyoming, the defense allowed 15 points, giving up 342 total yards, including 136 rushing yards on 39 attempts. The secondary allowed 206 passing yards but also recorded an interception.