Rutgers vs Syracuse Odds, Best Bets, and Prediction

Rutgers vs Syracuse Preview

Kickoff: Saturday 9/11, 2:00pm - Carrier Dome (Syracuse)

Moneyline: Rutgers (-130) , Syracuse (+110)

Point Spread: Rutgers (-2), Syracuse (+2)

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights travel to the Carrier Dome this weekend to take on the Syracuse Orange on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET. Rutgers is a 2-point favorite, and a Syracuse Money Line wager would get +110 odds. The over-under for this game is currently set at 51.5.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights Preview

Rutgers opened the season with a 61-14 home win over Temple to start the year 1-0. The Scarlet Knights enter the 2021 campaign under second-year head coach Greg Schiano, who previously coached the program from 2001-2011.

Prior to Schiano’s return, the program in New Jersey was in a state of disrepair. But now that Rutgers has its guy back at the helm, the program appears to be bouncing back and looked much more competitive on the field last fall. 

The Scarlet Knights finished 3-6 overall throughout their conference-only 2020 schedule. All three of their wins were on the road. Rutgers finished the year in fifth place in the Big 10 East standings, ahead of both Michigan and Michigan State. 

The Scarlet Knights didn’t show much of a passing attack in week one, but they did look solid in the run game and on defense. 

Despite scoring 61 points, Rutgers quarterback Noah Verdal completed just over 50 percent of his passes for 138 yards and just one touchdown. The Scarlet Knights did most of their offensive damage on the ground, netting 220 rushing yards with nine different ball carriers. Rutgers also scored nine points on defense, two from a safety in the first quarter and seven from a second-half pick-six. 

Syracuse Orange Preview

Syracuse had a dismal 2020 campaign, finishing in last place in the ACC with a 1-10 overall record. The Orange had the cards stacked against it from the beginning of the season last fall. 

The program may have had one of the toughest bouts with COVID-19 among FBS schools. Several players sat out the season because of the pandemic, and the Orange lost starting quarterback Tommy Devito early in the year. At times, Syracuse’s roster looked closer to that of an FCS program rather than a Power Five football team in the ACC. 

The Orange did show promise in its final two games at home in 2020, however. Syracuse lost 16-13 to Boston College and 36-29 to NC State, two teams that finished with winning records last year. 

Because of the terrible year, expectations were low for Cuse entering 2021. The Orange opened as road underdogs in week one against Group of Five program Ohio of the MAC. Power Five programs are rarely considered underdogs against Group of Five schools, and Syracuse showed why. The Orange defeated Ohio 29-9 and kept the Bobcats out of the end zone all afternoon. 

Syracuse gained just 100 yards through the air but was able to run the ball 283 yards, controlling the time of possession and ultimately most of the contest.

Full Rutgers vs Syracuse Prediction

This is one of several toss-up matchups in college football this weekend, and there are not many reasons to be too confident in either squad. The BetQL computers are slightly leaning toward Rutgers with the 2-point spread, but it’s only with one-star confidence. Syracuse is typically a good home team in the Carrier Dome, and Rutgers has proven it can win on the road since the beginning of last fall. 

A strong majority of the tickets are on Rutgers, but the sharps like Syracuse considering Orange bettors make up 84 percent of the money. 

When in doubt, I’ll tail the sharps. I’m taking Syracuse in this one, and I’m sticking with the spread since the Money Line isn’t quite juicy enough to take on the extra risk. I also like the under considering how much both of these teams like to run and the fact that both squads’ strengths are on defense.

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