West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Syracuse Orange Odds

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Mountaineers (-14)
Game Total Line: (58)
(wagering lines available at 5Dimes)

The West Virginia Mountaineers continue their quest for a Big East title this Friday night when they tangle with the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome. The kick-off for this matchup is slated for 8 p.m. (ET) and the game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

This season could mark the return to the top of the conference for West Virginia after a 5-1 straight-up start (3-3 against the spread) in which the only setback was a 47-21 loss to the No.1 team in the country, LSU as a 5.5-point home underdog. Their last time out on Oct. 8, the Mountaineers rolled over Connecticut 43-16 as 19-point home favorites. The total has gone ‘over’ in five of their six games this season.

A large reason for West Virginia’s success so far has been the play of quarterback Geno Smith. He has passed for 2,159 yards this season while completing 64 percent of his throws. As a whole, the Mountaineers are ranked fourth in the nation in passing with an average of 380.5 yards a game. A trio of receivers in Stedman Bailey, Tavon Austin, and Ivan McCartney have combined for 110 catches for 1,653 yards and 10 touchdowns and all together, 12 different players have caught passes this season.

Earlier this year, Syracuse announced plans to leave the Big East for the ACC making this go-round of conference games a possible farewell tour. It already opened the tour with a 19-16 loss in overtime to Rutgers as a 1.5-point home favorite on Oct. 1. Overall, the Orange are 4-2 SU (2-4 ATS) and coming off a 37-34 victory over Tulane on Oct.8 as 9.5-point road favorites. The total has gone ‘over’ in four of their six games.

Syracuse’s offensive attack has been much more balanced than West Virginia’s with an average of 220.3 passing yards per game and an average of 113.2 yards a game on the ground, but much less effective in scoring with an average of 27.6 points a game verse the Mountaineers’ average of 40.8 points per game. Ryan Nassib is also completing 64 percent of his passes, but has only thrown for 1,294 yards on the year. Antwon Bailey has done a good job running the ball with 553 yards and five touchdown runs on 124 attempts.

West Virginia is 4-0-1 ATS in its last five conference games and 4-1 ATS in its last five games on the road. The total has gone ‘over’ in nine of its last 13 games following a bye.

Syracuse is 1-4 ATS in its last five games as a home underdog and 0-5 ATS in its last five games following a SU win. The total has stayed ‘under’ in its last seven games following a bye.

Head-to- head in this series, the Mountaineers are 5-0 ATS in their last five trips to Syracuse and 7-3 ATS in the last 10 meetings overall. The total has stayed ‘under’ in five of the last seven games played in Syracuse.

Game Betting Pick

Stick with West Virginia to continue its success on the road in this matchup with a win on Friday night that covers the 14-point spread.
Take the Mountaineers -14 at 5Dimes (Best Reduced Juice Sportsbook).