The UConn Huskies and the Syracuse Orange meet Saturday in college football action from JMA Wireless Dome. Here’s a Syracuse vs UConn prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Syracuse vs UConn pick.
UConn Huskies Betting Preview
The Huskies lost two of their first three games to Maryland and Duke, but would then hit a winning streak over Florida Atlantic, Buffalo, and Temple. UConn has since lost to Wake Forest prior to wins versus Rice, Georgia State, and UAB.
Matched up with UAB on November 9 in their most recent outing, UConn came out of the break with a 20-3 deficit. The Huskies scored 21 fourth-quarter points in a thrilling comeback 31-23, though. Joe Fagnano threw a pair of scores and Camryn Edwards rushed for 82 yards and a TD of his own.
Syracuse Orange Betting Preview
Over on the Syracuse side, they were able to win five of their first six over Ohio, Georgia Tech, Holy Cross, UNLV, and NC State. The Orange would go 1-2 over the next three with losses to Pittsburgh and Boston College around an OT win versus Virginia Tech.
In the California game on Saturday, the Orange scored 21 points in the second quarter alone on the way to a 33-25 victory. Syracuse got 323 yards and a passing score from QB Kyle McCord. LeQuint Allen carried 23 times for 109 yards and two touchdowns of his own.
Why the Syracuse Orange will win
- The favorite has won each of Connecticut’s last 10 games.
- Connecticut has lost each of its last seven road games against opponents from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
- Connecticut has failed to cover the spread in each of its last five games against non-conference opponents.
- Syracuse has covered the spread in three of its last four November games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Connecticut has lost the first half in 15 of its last 16 games against opponents from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Why the Connecticut Huskies will win
- The underdog has won three of Syracuse’s last four games at JMA Wireless Dome.
- The underdog has covered the spread in each of Syracuse’s last five games at JMA Wireless Dome.
- Syracuse has failed to cover the spread in four of its last five games as a favorite against non-AP-ranked teams.
Total Points Facts
- Each of Syracuse’s last four November games as a favorite against non-AP-ranked teams has gone OVER the total points line.
- Six of Connecticut’s last seven November games as an underdog have gone OVER the total points line.
Syracuse vs UConn Prediction
I’ll probably just stick with Syracuse here. You could make a case either way here, though. On Saturday versus Cal, the Orange posted 471 yards (323 passing) with 5.6 yards per play and 26 first downs. Defensively Syracuse gave up 8-of-13 on third downs, but also had a couple of picks and only stayed on the field for 21:19 of game time. It was a nice bounce-back after the close loss to Boston College.
As for UConn, they finally woke up in the fourth quarter in their win over UAB, posting four takeaways on defense alongside 403 yards (233 passing) allowed. The O had a couple of turnovers themselves with 365 yards (176 passing) and 20 first downs. UConn is certainly capable of being competitive here—especially with the extra time off—but ultimately I think Syracuse covers by a slim margin.