Syracuse (4-7, 1-6 Atlantic Coast) hosts Wake Forest (8-3, 4-3) on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. While the Demon Deacons are headed to a bowl game in one of their better seasons in recent years, the Orange look to salvage an otherwise disappointing year after starting the season in the AP Top 25. 

Below our beat writers predict Syracuse’s final regular season game of the 2019 season. 

Eric Black (7-4)
Out with a whimper
Wake Forest 38, Syracuse 21

I have no idea how the Demon Deacons are currently only favored to win by four points on Saturday. This is an 8-3 Wake Forest team that was ranked as recently as four weeks ago and has five times as many ACC wins as Syracuse does. Not to mention SU is fresh off a 56-34 disaster at Louisville that eliminated it from bowl contention and will likely be playing a considerable amount of upperclassmen backups on senior day. I certainly don’t believe the Orange’s level of effort will be any lower than usual, but that probably won’t matter much in determining the game’s outcome. The Demon Deacons have been a significantly better team than the Orange all season and I don’t see that changing on Saturday. 

Andrew Graham (8-3)
Left in the wake
Wake Forest 41, Syracuse 34

Wake Forest is to 2019 what Syracuse was to 2018. The Demon Deacons aren’t miles better than any of the other 12 teams not named Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference, but WFU has won its share of close contests and won every game on the schedule it should’ve, plus a few. Thus, they roll into the Carrier Dome at 8-3, a finale and a bowl game away from 10 wins. Sound similar to when SU went in and steamrolled Boston College last year? It is. SU won’t be hamstrung like BC was last year — AJ Dillon was hurting — but the paradigm has flipped. It’s the Demon Deacons gunning to finish the season with a flourish and the Orange just trying to limp across the finish line.

Josh Schafer (8-3)
Past demons
Wake Forest 35 Syracuse 27

The last time we saw the Syracuse defense it couldn’t’ stop Louisville. A week later the Orange are lining up against the 16th best offense yardage-wise in the country. Receiver Sage Surratt is already over 1,000 yards while quarterback Jamie Newman is already over 2,000 yards passing and can run the ball as well. It’s a combination Syracuse has seen countless times this year and hasn’t been able to stop yet. SU’s rushing game has picked up in recent games and could continue to bring the Orange much needed offense, but it won’t be enough in a game that will need to be a shootout.

Published on November 30, 2019 at 11:24 am