Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-0) vs. Syracuse Orange (1-0)
September 11, 2021 2:00 pm EDT
The Line: Syracuse Orange +2 ; Over/Under: -51.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Syracuse Orange meet the Rutgers Scarlet Knights Saturday in week 2 college football action from the Carrier Dome. Rutgers is coming off an opening-week matchup versus Temple. In that one, the Knights notched a dominant victory. As for Syracuse, they played Ohio in their first game. The Orange kicked off the season with a 20-point win. Check back all season long for free college football picks at Sports Chat Place.
Rutgers got in nine games last fall, but the result wasn’t so great. The Knights would finish at just 3-6 overall, putting the team two spots out of last place in the East Division of the Big Ten Conference. If there’s good news, it’s that Rutgers won two of their last four games.
In the 2021 opener versus Temple, Rutgers had a 26-7 lead at halftime and kept the pressure on from there in a 61-14 blowout win. QB Noah Vedral put up 138 yards and a score, while also leading the rush with 58 yards. Rutgers scored six rushing touchdowns in their victory.
Over on the Syracuse side, they didn’t do so hot last year either. The Orange stumbled to a 1-10 overall record and a 1-9 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Syracuse finished in last place in the conference standings, just behind Duke.
In the week one game versus Ohio, Syracuse nursed a 12-6 lead coming into the third quarter but ultimately prevailed 29-9. QB Tommy Devito put up 92 yards on 11-of-17 passing, and Sean Tucker rushed 25 times for 181 yards and a TD.
PICK: I like Rutgers in this one. The Knights did some good things on defense in their week one win, holding Temple to 13 first downs and a 2-of-12 mark on third-down efficiency. On offense it was a steady dose of rushing with 220 yards and a perfect 3-for-3 on fourth down tries.
This game is likely going to be a ground-and-pound situation on both sides, as Syracuse got 283 of their 383 yards from the rush in week one. The Orange also notched 21 first downs and 6.2 yards per play. We should have an interesting matchup here, but I still like Rutgers to eke out a cover.
