Syracuse (3-3, 0-2 Atlantic Coast) already has as many losses in 2019 as it did in all of 2018. The Orange lost to Pittsburgh (4-2, 1-1) in 2018 at Heinz Field, 44-37, after Eric Dungey threw an interception in overtime. Syracuse, as of Wednesday afternoon, are 3.5-point underdogs, according to Pinnacle.

Here’s what our beat writers predict will happen when the Panthers visit the Carrier Dome at 7 p.m. on Friday:

Eric Black (4-2)
Moldy Oranges
Pittsburgh 23, Syracuse 17

Last week’s game against North Carolina State was ugly, and I don’t think this’ll be much better. The 76-61 contest between these two teams in 2016 and the 44-37 overtime thriller last year are a thing of the past — this Syracuse offense is bad and last week’s performance fully convinced me of that. And when you’re one of the worst teams in the country in terms of sacks allowed and facing one of the best defensive fronts in the ACC, that’s a recipe for disaster. I wouldn’t be surprised if this game gets lopsided due to a slow start by the Orange offense again. But with their defense playing as well as it is right now, they should stay within striking distance. SU can win this game. But let’s be real. It hasn’t defeated a Power 5 team all season. And I don’t think it will on Friday.

Andrew Graham (4-2)
Pitt stain
Pittsburgh 31, Syracuse 17

Naturally now that I’ve finally soured on SU’s offensive line figuring it out and the offensive clicking fully, I’m certain the Panthers will turn in a stinker and the Orange will win by two touchdowns. But on paper, I simply can’t pick Syracuse to win this game. Syracuse ranks fourth-worst in the country in sacks allowed (26) and Pitt ranks third in the country in sacks (27) — that’s the ball game right there. Pitt should regularly disrupt SU’s offensive schemes by blowing up the plays before they even start, keeping Tommy DeVito more concerned with running away than completing passes. It doesn’t matter how good Syracuse’s defense might be, if Pitt controls the line of scrimmage it’ll control time of possession and naturally, the game.

Josh Schafer (5-1)
Dogs at home
Pittsburgh 20, Syracuse 17

The Orange may not win the game on Friday, but they might cover the 3.5 point spread in Pittsburgh’s favor. There are many reasons why Syracuse is an underdog at home, perhaps none more important than the Orange’s performance against top defensive lines this year. Pittsburgh gets to the quarterback more often than all but one team in the country and Syracuse is the fourth worst team in the country at protecting its passer. Plain and simple, that’s just not a good matchup for the Orange. The one thing that is looking up for the Orange is that Pittsburgh also hasn’t scored many points this year either. The game will likely be low scoring and therefore close. But Pittsburgh, who’s beaten teams like UCF and Duke, has a better resume headed into this one and it will show on Friday.

Published on October 16, 2019 at 11:09 pm