The Virginia Cavaliers (2-1) travel north to the Carrier Dome to take on the Syracuse Orange (3-0) with Friday’s kickoff set for 7 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around Virginia Cavaliers at Syracuse Orange odds, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.
The Cavaliers haven’t gotten the results from redshirt senior QB Brennan Armstrong that they had expected following his standout junior season. He had a 31-10 TD-INT ratio and is at 2-3 through 3 games.
Virginia took down Sun Belt side Old Dominion 16-14 last weekend after a 24-3 loss to Illinois and a 34-17 win over the Richmond Spiders.
Syracuse comes in as strong favorites, having yet to lose. The Orange destroyed Louisville 31-7 to start the season and followed that up with a 48-14 win over UConn. It topped it all off with a 32-29 win over Purdue.
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Virginia at Syracuse odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Thursday at 12:18 a.m. ET.
- Money line (ML): Virginia +270 (bet $100 to win $270) | Syracuse -340 (bet $340 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Virginia +9.5 (-112) | Syracuse -9.5 (-108)
- Over/Under (O/U): 54.5 (O: -105 | U: -115)
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Virginia at Syracuse picks and predictions
Prediction
Syracuse 30, Virginia 24
Money line
PASS.
The only value here is for Virginia to win, but I won’t predict the upset. I’d rather play the spread regardless.
Against the spread
BET VIRGINIA +9.5 (-112).
The Cavaliers have struggled to figure it out this season, and that can best be shown by their 0-3 ATS record. Much of their struggles can be put on Armstrong, who must shoulder some of the blame. He hasn’t played nearly up to par, but the talent is there.
He threw for 4,449 yards a season ago. His early-season struggles could partially be on the offensive line as they have 2 redshirt freshmen and a transfer. They should settle in as the season progresses.
While Syracuse is 3-0 ATS, the betting market doesn’t seem to be favoring it as the Orange have 81% of the tickets but just 61% of the money per pregame.com. The line has also moved, per pregame, from -9.5 at the open to -9, giving Tipico’s line value and showing some reverse line movement.
Given that trend and how Armstrong has shown he can compete in the past, I’ll back VIRGINIA +9.5 (-112) here.
Over/Under
LEAN UNDER 54.5 (-115).
Virginia hasn’t scored much this season, totaling just 19 points against its to FBS opponents. It is 0-3 O/U this season.
Syracuse scored 32 points against Purdue, but allowed 29. QB Garrett Shrader had 3 TDs on 181 passing yards. Its rush game wasn’t overly impressive either. The Orange got good positioning and took advantage, but those same favors may not be paid Friday.
Virginia, on the other hand, has shown little, and even if Armstrong plays well, it may not find the end zone more than a handful of times.
Couple it all, and I’ll back the UNDER 54.5 (-115).
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