Syracuse vs. NC State Preview

Odds, best bets and analysis for this college football matchup

By Matthew Horner – Oct 13, 2022, 12:31am

Two of the top team s in the ACC will go at it on Saturday afternoon when the Wolfpack travel to take on the Orange. NC State has been one of the better defenses in college football that often gets overlooked. The Wolfpack allow 15.7 points per game, which is the 15th-fewest across 131 FBS teams. This includes holding every one of their opponents under 300 passing yards, including just 209 to Clemson in their only loss of the season.

The offense hasn't been nearly as effective, but they can do the job they need to when the defense is so great. QB Devin Leary has been somewhat disappointing considering the massive expectations that were thrust upon him coming into the 2022 season. He was supposed to be lighting up scoreboards and was projected as a possible top-5 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. That most likely is out of reach now, but he has the talent and ability to turn it on whenever he wants.

Looking o ver the history of these two teams, it has been a landslide. NC State has been the far and away better team in this ACC divisional matchup across the past five years. The Wolfpack have won three consecutive games against the Orange, and the last time they played in Syracuse, the Orange were a 17-point underdog at home. Now? They are 5.5-point favorites against this NC State team.

The Wolfpack had been dominating their opponent's running attack up until Week 6 when they allowed a massive 7.4 yards per carry. No rushing attack has managed to score more than two touchdowns against NC State besides Clemson, which has one of the better rushing attacks in the nation. Syracuse is not a pass-centric offense, so it will be very interesting to see how they do against a defense that has been super efficient all season long against the run. This defense will certainly be put to the test again.
  
Read Full Article