FSU football: Noles double-digit betting favorites over Syracuse

No. 4 FSU football avoided a huge upset bid by the Virginia Tech Saturday afternoon. The Noles handled Virginia Tech Saturday 39-17, and Syracuse got dismantled 40-7 by North Carolina for their second consecutive loss after beginning the season 4-0.

This game is all about FSU continuing to control their destiny within the conference. The Noles are double-digit betting favorites at -17.5 and a 56.5 over/under point total. Those odds imply a 37-19 FSU football win.

Syracuse has fallen prey to its usual path, beating bad teams early in the season and getting rolled by conference opponents as the season progresses. They have been hit with injuries, and quarterback Garrett Shrader has become the majority of the offense with his legs.

He’s their second-leading rusher at 11 rush attempts per game. The Syracuse 3-3-5 defensive stack hasn’t been awful, allowing 19 points per game and 4.79 yards per play. However, North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye carved them up through the air last week with 442 passing yards and three touchdowns.

The contest between FSU and Syracuse wasn’t competitive last season, with FSU rolling the Orange 38-3. Trey Benson ran for 163 yards, and Jordan Travis threw three touchdown passes. The FSU defense suffocated the Orange, holding them to 160 total yards.

The Noles were only favored by seven points in last year’s contest. It’ll be interesting to see what the Orange bring after back-to-back beatdowns. FSU has faced several mobile quarterbacks this season, and FSU football fans are probably tired of hearing about it.

However, that’s been the theme for the FSU defense, slowing down quarterbacks that can run. Shrader can throw but is susceptible to the sack. Syracuse has allowed 16 sacks and 34 tackles for a loss this year.

It could be another game where the defense can play fast and keep things simple since Syracuse has limited playmakers.