College Football Predictions – Syracuse Orange 2018 NCAA Football Preview
2017 Recap
Record – 4-8
ATS – 6-6
The Orange recorded their second consecutive four-win season under the tutelage of HC Dino Babers and have not had a winning record since the magical 2013 season (7-6). They did manage to SHOCK the WORLD with a win over the mighty Clemson Tigers and were very competitive in losses to Miami and Florida St. They were tripped up again by injuries. Maybe THIS is the year it all comes together?
2018 MEGALOCKS Opening Power Rating
Atlantic Division – #7
ACC – #13
Syracuse Orange 2018 Outlook
OFFENSE
Senior QB Eric Dungey gets one more kick at the cat and hopefully he can stay healthy for the entire campaign. Dungey is a dangerous dual-threat QB and the kind of leader that can carry the team to a bowl game (14 passing TDs, 9 rushing TDs in 9 starts LY). Dungey will miss a pair of excellent WRs that combined for over 2,200 yards receiving and an amazing 194 (!) catches in 2017. One of those men is the program’s all-time receiving leader Steve Ishmael who poked ahead of some dude named Marvin Harrison.
Dungey was the team’s leading rusher last year and it would help the offense (and his long-term health) if the RB group could do more of the damage on the ground. True, it’s a pass-happy offense, but their top-3 RBs return to the mix this season and that will help the offense move the chains. The offensive line should be one of their best in recent seasons (4/5 returning starters).
The Orange passing game is still going to click and we foresee the Orange have their best offensive output since 2012 when they averaged 30.0 PPG (LY 27.4).
DEFENSE
The Orange made fine progress last season allowing 32.2 PPG after yielding 38.6 in 2016. There are six starters returning to the stop unit and, aside from staying healthy this year, there are a number of things that need to improve. The Orange have ranked DEAD LAST in the ACC in sacks for two straight seasons (16,16). They need to find a way to get more PENETRATION. The defensive line brings back three starters but the LB unit is undergoing a total reload. The Cuse also needs to find a way to pick off more than FOUR passes (last ACC LY). Three returning starters at the back-end of the defense has to help. Amirite?
We forecast similar defensive performance in 2018 with a bit of upside potential.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Orange bring back excellent P Sterling Hofrichter (41.3 net LY) and PR/KR Sean Riley who did a good job on returns last season. They will however need to break a new PK and will miss the reliability of Cole Murphy on field goal attempts (20/27 LY).
Schedule Analysis
Overall – It’s not bad at all. The non-conference schedule is manageable (at Western Michigan, Wagner, Connecticut) and they only have five true road games.
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – Connecticut (September 22). This is a Florida St / Clemson sandwich game and we will probably avoid taking the Orange here if they are laying a big number.
Season Win Total
Over 5.5 +100
Under 5.5 -120
MEGALOCKS says:
Strong lean to the under. They are capable of making a bowl game but the defense is still a concern and they have an injury-prone QB. The November docket is going to be tough to navigate.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
Despite carrying the name of CARRIER (an HVAC manufacturer) there is no air conditioning in the dome.
Note – It may be installed in 2022 according to our SYRACUSE BUILDING IMPROVEMENT INSIDERS
MEGALOCKS ATS Value Rating (10) 4.0
MEGALOCKS says:
Overall, we give the ORANGE a 4.0 ATS Value Rating (Below Average) this season.
We had higher expectations for Syracuse last season but the lack of depth killed them down the stretch when the injury bug went FREAKY FREAKY ALL NIGHT LONG. This season the offense should be really good and be able to move the ball consistently on all but the best defenses on their schedule. A healthy Eric Dungey is key although they do have some depth behind him now. It’s just hard to depend on that defense which seems a year away from being the caliber needed to keep Syracuse competitive in a tough division.
We suggest using caution and picking the best spots possible when backing the Orange against the spread.
Want more Syracuse football ?
WEBSITE
http://www.cuse.com/index.aspx?path=football
FORUM
Free
http://syracusefan.com/forums/syracuse-football-board.3/
https://247sports.com/college/syracuse/Board/Football-Board-104061
Restricted
https://syracuse.forums.rivals.com/forums/cuse-council.12/
NEWS
http://www.nunesmagician.com/syracuse-football
http://bleacherreport.com/syracuse-football
http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/teams/syracuse-orange
TWITTER
Hashtag – #OITNF
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