Stanford vs Syracuse 9/20 Picks: Orange Best Bet at Home
- Stanford’s first conference game since joining the ACC comes on the road against undefeated Syracuse.
- Syracuse goes after its 20th win in a row as a home favorite.
- Check the latest Stanford vs Syracuse odds at the BetUS sportsbook.
Syracuse hasn’t opened 3-0 for three seasons in a row since the 1930s. Will that change on Friday night when ACC newcomer Stanford comes to town? The Orange is listed by the NCAA football spread as the home favorite and Syracuse hasn’t lost when favored at home since 2017, a stretch of 19 games.
The Cardinal and the Orange have never played. When Stanford played in the Pac-12, the Cardinal won their last six games against ACC teams. However, Stanford was favored in each of those contests.
The college football betting line has Syracuse listed as a 9.5-point favorite. Syracuse has +350 odds to win the game outright with Stanford at +280 to come away with the win in its first ACC game.
A quick look at the college football futures odds has Syracuse’s odds of winning the national championship moving from +60000 to +25000 since the start of the season.
Stanford vs Syracuse Game Information
- Game: Stanford (1-1) at Syracuse (2-0, 1-0 in the ACC)
- Date/Time: Friday, Sept. 20, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Location: JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY
- Stanford vs Syracuse Live Stream: ESPN
Stanford vs Syracuse Odds and Spread
Stanford vs Syracuse 9/20 Betting Predictions
1. QB McCord has Found a New Home
Some wondered how new Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord would perform without the elite receiving talent that he played with at Ohio State. The early returns are pretty encouraging as Ole Miss star Jaxson Dart is the only Football Bowl Subdivision player to average more passing yards per game this season than McCord.
Oronde Gadsden and Trebor Pena have combined for 25 catches, 367 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in the first two games for Syracuse. Seven different Syracuse players have at least one 20-yard catch through the first two games of the season.
Kyle McCord, Syracuse (32-of-46, 391 total yards, 4 TDs, 0 INT, QBR: 82.0)
McCord had a second straight big game, recording career-bests in completions, attempts, and passing yards as he led the Orange to a 31-28 ACC victory over No. 23 Georgia Tech. pic.twitter.com/LC6bjBHu5f
— Manning Award (@ManningAward) September 9, 2024
In its only game against a fellow Power-4 conference team, Stanford allowed more than 350 passing yards against TCU, so dealing with the high-flying Syracuse passing attack could be quite the challenge.
The BetUS sportsbook odds had eight players had shorter odds to lead the ACC in passing yards than McCord coming into the season. Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels wasn’t one of them. He has just 384 passing yards and three touchdown passes in the first two games of the season.
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2. Stanford Struggling to Hit the Ground Running
Daniels offers a running threat at the quarterback position as he leads the Cardinal with 118 rushing yards. Running backs have just 91 yards on 29 carries in the first two games of the season. That will need to change for Stanford to hang around at home against Syracuse.
The biggest concern for Stanford will be trying to block Texas A&M transfer Fadil Diggs. The 260-pound Diggs leads the nation with an average of three tackles for loss per game. He has spent plenty of time in the offensive backfield in Syracuse’s games against Ohio and Georgia Tech and is a player to monitor in the college football prop bets.
Syracuse linebacker Marlow Wax, who had six tackles in the win over Ohio, missed the Georgia Tech game and is not expected to play against Stanford.
Syracuse’s depth chart for Week 4 vs. Stanford.
James Heard officially replaced Marlowe Wax, who’s out for the next few weeks with injury but had been left on last week’s depth chart. pic.twitter.com/AlJg2EOtqb
— emily leiker (@emleiker) September 16, 2024
3. Stanford Looks to Defy Odds as Road Dog
Stanford is just 4-10 outright and against the college football spread as a road underdog since the start of the 2021 season. Syracuse is 8-3-1 ATS as the home favorite during that stretch.
Syracuse’s home opener against Ohio finished over the total. If it happens again on Friday, the Syracuse Orange will match the 2023 total of games when Syracuse is favored at home. In Stanford’s final three seasons in the Pac-12, just six of 14 games as a road underdog went over the total. Keep that in mind when looking at the 57-point total for this matchup.
There were mixed results for the Stanford Cardinal in 2023 in true road games with wins over Hawaii, Colorado and Washington State but losses by 46 points to USC and by 45 points to Oregon State. Don’t expect a similar margin in this game but Syracuse could find a way to win by at least 10 points.
Bet on Syracuse -8½ and Stanford vs Syracuse Under 57
Stanford vs Syracuse Prediction
Syracuse 30, Stanford 17
Questions of the Day
Which team had a better record against the spread since the start of the 2023 season, Stanford or Syracuse?
Stanford is 6-8 and Syracuse 6-8-1 against the college football spread since the beginning of last season.
Who is the leading tackler for Stanford and Syracuse this season?
Gaethan Bernadel leads Stanford with 16 tackles this season. Justin Barron and Fadil Diggs are tied for the team lead with 15 tackles for Syracuse.
Odds and information are accurate at the time of writing. Please check with official sources for the latest updates before placing any bets.
