The Boca Raton Bowl this Thursday wraps up the so-so seasons for both the Syracuse Orange and the South Florida Bulls. We're here with our prediction for the game, drawing from the best college football odds.
After a seven-year hiatus, South Florida (6-6) and Syracuse (6-6) finally meet again on the field. This eagerly awaited matchup takes center stage at the Boca Raton Bowl, putting these middle-tier football programs under the spotlight as the main event in the lone college football bowl game scheduled for the day.
Syracuse faced challenges at the quarterback position towards the end of the season and underwent a coaching change before the regular season concluded. Despite this, they managed to rally, winning two of their last three games and clinching consecutive bowl game appearances for the first time in ten years.
In a similar vein, South Florida bounced back from a midseason slump. They secured their first bowl game since 2018 by winning two out of the final three games in head coach Alex Golesh's debut season at the helm.
As part of our look at all college bowl game odds, here is our best South Florida vs. Syracuse prediction and our college football picks for Thursday's Boca Raton Bowl (odds via our best college football betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
South Florida vs. Syracuse prediction: Boca Raton Bowl
The future appears bright for Syracuse after securing Ohio State QB Kyle McCord, a former five-star recruit, in the transfer portal. That won't help this team's woeful situation under center in the Boca Raton Bowl, though.
Starter Garrett Shrader, who battled through a shoulder injury late in the year, finally underwent surgery and won't be available for this bowl game. The tea m released a depth chart Monday listing redshirt freshman Braden Davis – who has attempted one career pass for -6 yards – as the starter, though we could also see wildcat tight end Dan Villari take snaps in this one.
Either way, don't expect much from this Orange attack, which will also be without offensive coordinator Jason Beck on Thursday. Running backs coach Mike Lynch will call the plays on offense, which hints at the type of game plan we can expect in this one.
That spells a huge missed opportunity against a South Florida defense that ranks dead last in passing yards allowed (301.2 YPG) and struggled to limit explosive plays all season. Those issues led USF to rank 120th in scoring defense (34.9), which is inflating this betting total despite Syracuse's QB woes.
On the other side, dual-threat QB Byrum Brown ranks seventh in the nation in total offense (318.6 YPG) and finished the regular season with 2 3 passing touchdowns to just 11 interceptions. Don't be fooled, though, as the Bulls' star posted more turnover-worthy plays (23) than big-time throws (19), per PFF, and ranked 30th in passing grade (66.7) among 35 passers with at least 400 dropbacks.
Syracuse's defense forced nine turnovers over its final four games, and its 3-3-5 scheme – popularized by current defensive coordinator Rocky Long – should frustrate Brown all night long in a game that could fall well short of Thursday's total.
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South Florida vs. Syracuse best odds
| DraftKings | FanDuel | BetMGM | Caesars | bet365 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 57 | Under 56.5 | Under 56.5 | Under 56.5 | Under 56.5 |
| -110 | -105 | -110 | -110 | -110 |
Thursday's total is dealing at 56.5 across almost all of our best sports betting apps. The lone exception is DraftKings, which is hanging an outlier total of 57 with -110 odds both ways – making it the obvious choice for anyone looking to bet the Under for this year's Boca Raton Bowl.
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South Florida vs. Syracuse odds
South Florida vs. Syracuse odds analysis
Syracuse opened as high as a 5.5-point favorite at some shops before settling closer to -3.5 across most of our best sports betting sites. That number dipped even further after Monday's news that Shrader (shoulder) wouldn't suit up for the Orange.
Meanwhile, the betting total opened at 58.5 but now sits at 56.5 at most of our best sportsbooks. We'd play the Under at that number, though we'd prefer to squeeze that extra value from the total of 57 via DraftKings.
Boca Raton Bowl game info
- When: Thursday, Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
- How to watch: ESPN
- Weather: 68 degrees, 11-mph winds, 0% chance of precipitation
South Florida-Syracuse prediction made Tuesday at 4:15 p.m. ET.
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