Orange And Rebels Will Run Wild On Field

Syracuse vs. UNLV, 9:00 ET

College Football returns to us on this Friday evening with a battle of two teams that are looking to improve on their strong records. We have one team that hasn't cracked the top-25, but has some promising potential. The other team has finally reached the top-25 and had a bit of drama around their team because of the NIL and money that was or wasn't promised to them. Tonight we take on a betting approach to the game between Syracuse and UNLV as they play on Friday night. 

Syracuse is 3-1 to start their season and they have faced a couple of decent teams this season, but they haven't played anyone amazing either. They faced Ohio (not Ohio State) to start their year and won by 16 points. They followed that victory with another one over Georgia Tech. This one was much closer as they won the game by just three points. In fairness, the final score was a bit closer than the game was. They had a two touchdown lead for about half of the game. Quarterback Kyle McCord shined in that game with 381 yards and four touchdown passes. Stanford was able to pull off a victory as a road team against Syracuse, kicking a game-winning field goal as time expired. I also need to give credit to Stanford because they held the lead for most of the game. Last week was more of an easy game for the the Orange as they took the game with ease at 42-14. McCord has been great this season racking up 1,459 yards on 114 completions and 14 touchdowns with five interceptions. UNLV has done a decent job against opposing quarterbacks, but McCord seems like he has a really good connection with his receivers so it may be a difficult game for the Rebels. 

Sep 20, 2024; Syracuse, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange quarterback Kyle McCord (6) passes against the Stanford Cardinal during the second half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

For the season, UNLV is 4-0 and figuring out where to go after the drama of their quarterback leaving the team due to an NIL controversy. It didn't much matter in the most recent game as they embarrassed Fresno with a 59-14 win. Their starting quarterback was Hajj-Malik Williams who was able to complete 13 passes in 16 attempts for 182 yards and three touchdowns. It wasn't just his arm that hurt Fresno, it was his legs too. He was able to rush 12 times for 119 yards and a touchdown. The team added another couple of rushing touchdowns to the mix and coasted. Drama averted. This game should present more of a challenge an opposition. Fresno didn't have much time to prepare for UNLV's quarterback change. Even though Syracuse will have this tape, the defense of the Orange will present more pressure than Fresno. Ricky White hauled in 10 receptions in the last game and now has 20 for the season. I think they will continue to pepper him with throws, but the team needs to figure out a way to get more receivers involved with Williams. 

I like the way UNLV looked with Williams under center. Syracuse now needs to travel for the first time this season and face a team that seems to have been rejuvenated instead of defeated at the loss of their quarterback. I do think Syracuse will put up a fight and I'd expect this game to go over the total. Sryacuse's offense will find some gaps in the Rebels secondary. I also think Williams being a strong dual-threat quarterback will present opportunities for the team to put some points on the scoreboard. Back the over in this one.

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