Andrew Graham (3-0)
Winning the Iditarod
Syracuse 51, Connecticut 17

So, UConn is terrible. The Huskies are at any point playing half a dozen freshmen on defense and though starting quarterback David Pindell has done his best to keep the offense above water, UConn almost lost to FCS Rhode Island a week ago. Eric Dungey is a little banged up, but said on Tuesday he’s good to go. I don’t know how long he plays Saturday, but if this game goes as it should, we might see Tommy DeVito before halftime and may even get some Clayton Welch minutes. Regardless of who is under center, Syracuse’s defense should smother whatever offense the Huskies generate, and the Orange will mow through a weak Huskie defense. Like a racer in the Iditarod, Syracuse will be in control of the Huskies. Mush!

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Matt Liberman (2-1)
Don’t beware of dog
Syracuse 59, UConn 21

In short, UConn has the worst defense in the FBS and it isn’t even close. The Huskies are the only team in the country to have given up over 2,000 yards — and that’s in three games. Several teams have played four games without giving up that number. UConn is the only team in the country to give up more than 600 yards (673) and the only team to give up more than 50 points per game (55.7). The next closest is Oregon State at 46.3. All Syracuse has to do to win this game is just play its normal, up-tempo offense and air the ball out to its wideouts. The Huskies simply do not have the personnel to even slow down the Orange, let alone stop them.

Josh Schafer (3-0)
A dog pounding
Syracuse 55, Connecticut 10

UConn hasn’t played an FBS opponent within five touchdowns yet. The Huskies played two ranked teams in No. 21 Central Florida and No. 20 Boise State and showed little reason for belief in 56-17 and 62-7 losses, respectively. Last week, Connecticut beat Rhode Island, a low-tier FCS school, 56-49. On average UConn gives up 9.6 yards per play, almost two yards more than the next lowest team in the nation over the past decade. So really, there’s no logical way, at least on paper, to give UConn a chance in this game. Syracuse’s offense has looked comfortable under both Eric Dungey and Tommy DeVito. After pummeling an ACC opponent in Florida State, Saturday’s game will be another “annihilation” as Dungey said he hopes to do to every team. And come Saturday night, SU will have its first 4-0 start since 1991 and the fifth time since the end of World War II.

Published on September 19, 2018 at 11:02 pm