Syracuse Football

The Syracuse Orange will try and keep pace in the competitive Big East title race when they square off against the undefeated Rutgers Scarlet Knights at High Point Solutions Stadium this Saturday afternoon. Kickoff is slated for noon (EST) and the game will be available on ESPN3.com.

Syracuse is 2-3 straight up overall (1-3-1 against the spread), but 1-0 in conference play after grinding out a 14-13 victory over Pittsburgh this past Friday night as a one-point favorite at home. The total has stayed “under” in its last two games after the Orange managed to score a total of just 24 points.

The Scarlet Knights continued their slow-and-steady climb in the polls with a 19-3 Big East win over Connecticut this past Saturday as 7.5-point home favorites. They remained perfect on the year at 5-0 SU and improved to 3-2 ATS. The total has stayed under in three of their four games with a posted line.

Syracuse vs. Rutgers Betting Storylines

 

The Orange entered their final season in the Big East with high expectations, but a less-than-stellar start. Losses in a couple of games they were favored to win has raised some serious doubts about the actual talent level of this team.

Quarterback Ryan Nassib has put up some big numbers with 1,552 yards passing and 10 touchdowns, but he has also been picked off six times. Overall, the offense is ranked 17^th in the country in average passing yards per game and is racking up 140.6 yards a game on the ground.

This has not translated to points on the scoreboard, though. Syracuse is ranked 87^th in the country in scoring with an average of 24.4 points a game.

Defensively, the Orange have been able to tighten things up over the last few weeks against Minnesota and Pittsburgh, but they were torched for 42 points by both Northwestern and USC earlier in the season. Overall, this unit is ranked 63^rd in points allowed and is giving up an average of 26.2 points a game.

You did not see the betting public jumping on Rutgers’ bandwagon as the fifth-favorite to win the Big East before the season started, but the Scarlet Knights 5-0 start is adding more and more people to that bandwagon every week. They have already taken out South Florida this year with Cincinnati and Louisville further down the road.

Gary Nova has not been spectacular at quarterback, but he's quickly learned how to manage the game while doing a good job at taking care of the ball. Jawan Jamison has been a force running the ball with 601 yards on 130 carries. Brandon Coleman remains the go-to guy in the passing game with a team-high five touchdown receptions.

The main reason Rutgers is undefeated and in excellent position for a legitimate run at the conference title is a suffocating defense that's ranked fifth in the nation in points allowed. This unit has given up 13 or fewer points in four of its games and has surrendered a total of 16 points in two conference games.

Syracuse vs. Rutgers Betting Odds and Trends by 5Dimes

 

Pointspread: Rutgers -7

Total Line: OFF

 

The Orange are 3-12-1 ATS in their last 16 games overall and 0-6 ATS in their last six games on the road. The total has stayed under in 11 of their last 15 games against a team with a winning record.

The Scarlet Knights are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games and 8-2 ATS in their last 10 conference games following an ATS win. The total has stayed under in five of their last six home games.

Head-to-head, the favorite in this series is 11-5 ATS in the last 16 meetings and the home team is 9-4 ATS in the last 13. The total has stayed under in four of the last five games.

College Football Picks: Syracuse vs. Rutgers Betting Predictions

 

The Orange are 1-3 both SU and ATS in their last four trips to New Jersey and 2-5 ATS in the last seven matchups overall. The talent gap between the two is as wide as it has ever been in recent memory, which all points to a Rutgers’ victory at home that covers the one-touchdown spread.

 

Take # 134 Rutgers (-7) over Syracuse (Saturday, Oct. 13, noon EST)

In the first three games of the Orange's season, their main problem had been its defense. They had given up a combined 84 points against Northwestern and USC. Even in the team's victory over Stony Brook, there were times that the Orange tackling looked sloppy to say the least.

Still, the defense had made strides, and the game this past Friday against Minnesota was supposed to be a turning point. It was supposed to be the game that Ryan Nassib and the offense finally got some support from their teammates. The Orange was supposed to win.

As it turns out, the roles were reversed. The Orange did not win, and its offense was the biggest reason.

The loss has set off a miniature "Apocalypse Now" scenario in Syracuse. The fan base has become divided over coach Doug Marrone. Some want him fired immediately, while others maintain that he isn't the problem. Almost everyone, however, is absolutely sickened by the team's performance thus far.

The Minnesota game was the proverbial straw that broke the back of the team's fan base. The offense turned the ball over, and both sides committed costly penalties. It turned out to be a worst-case scenario for the Orange.

That's why it desperately needs to put Minnesota in the rear-view mirror and look ahead to conference play.

Amidst all the turmoil, there are a few positives to take away from the Orange's early season play. Ryan Nassib, although he played poorly against the Golden Gophers, has put up ridiculous numbers.

Marcus Sales has stepped up at the wide receiver position. In addition, the Orange has shown that it can come from behind. It did so against the Wildcats and Seawolves, and it came close against the Trojans. The team is not a complete mess.

Unfortunately, the blunders and inefficiencies outweigh the positives. This is still a team that hasn't beaten an FBS opponent in almost an entire year. The special teams have been questionable to say the least, and the mental mistakes have piled up after four games. The play calling has been questioned, and Marrone's leadership qualities are being dissected. The vibe is certainly not positive.

Luckily for the the Orange, they play in the Big East. Aside from Louisville and Rutgers, the rest of the conference is pretty much beatable. There is a necessity to focus on those opponents instead of looking back to what has transpired. Otherwise, Marrone will likely be out of a job by year's end, and Orange Nation will have the entire offseason to ponder a team that had plenty of talent but terrible execution.

For the better part of the first half, the Stony Brook Seawolves outplayed the Syracuse Orange. In fact, they carried a three point lead into the locker room thanks to big plays by their offense and numerous blunders by the Orange. The Orange were able to regroup at halftime, however, and get their first win of the season by a score of 28-17.

Ryan Nassib continued on his torrid pace towards the Syracuse single-season passing record by throwing for 335 yards and three touchdowns. The Orange ground game had a breakout performance as well, rushing for 214 yards on 45 carries. The Seawolves churned out 216 rushing yards of their own, including a 72-yard run by Miguel Maysonet in the second quarter. Aside from throwing a 63-yard touchdown pass on Stony Brook's second possession, quarterback Kyle Essington had a disastrous performance and completed only four of his 19 passes.

Syracuse did everything it possibly could to lose the game during the first half of play. Among the miscues were bad penalties, two missed field goals and poor sideline judgment on a kickoff return. The Carrier Dome crowd grew more and more restless as the mishaps continued to pile up, and any home field advantage had vanished by the end of the second quarter. Once the Orange drove down the field on their first drive of the second half and reached the end zone, however, the crowd got back into the game and the Orange maintained control throughout the rest of the game.

Stony Brook fought hard the entire way, stopping the Orange on two fourth-downs at their own goal line during the second half. The Seawolves could not generate anything on offense, however, and they never really threatened to take the lead back. Any hopes they had were dashed when Marcus Sales hauled in a 19-yard touchdown pass with less than six minutes remaining.

The Orange will no doubt have to clean things up as they head out to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers next Saturday. While a win is a win, this victory was a messy one in many ways. As long as Nassib continues to throw like he has been, however, the Orange will be a tough competitor in the Big East going forward.

After two heartbreaking losses to start the 2012 season, the Syracuse Orange hope to enter the win column on Saturday as the Stony Brook Seawolves come into town for a clash of New York schools. 

Syracuse comes into this game after a better-than-expected showing against USC, led by breakout star quarterback Ryan Nassib. 

The Seawolves, meanwhile, who are entering their final season in the Big South conference, are fresh off a 77-7 drubbing of Pace and have one of the best running attacks in the Championship Subdivision. 

With a possible upset looming in a vital game for Syracuse, here's a look everything you need to know about Saturday's game. 

When: Saturday, Sept. 15 at 4 p.m. ET

Where: Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y.

Watch: SNY

Listen: WUSB FM 90.1 (Stony Brook), Orange Radio Network (Syracuse)

Stream: Syracuse Official Website

Betting Line: To Be Determined

Stony Brook Injuries (via Oddshark)

The Seawolves have no significant injuries to report at this time.

Syracuse Injuries (via USA Today)

WR Adrian Flemming, Undisclosed, Questionable

TE Ron Thompson, Undisclosed, Questionable

OT Justin Pugh, Shoulder, Out

WR Kyle Foster, Lower Body Injury, Out for Season

DT Ryan Sloan, Lower Body Injury, Out for Season

FB Myles Davis, Lower Body Injury, Out for Season

OT Kristofer Curtis, Lower Body Injury, Out for Season

BCS/Top 25 Implications

Considering that the Orange are coming into this contest 0-2 and the Seawolves are ineligible to be ranked as an FCS school, there aren't many takeaways to be had rankings-wise.

However, after two tough losses so far this season, a win could be the catalyst for a magical run through the Big East schedule for Syracuse.

It's not likely, but crazier things have happened. 

What They're Saying

In last week's school record 77-7 defeat of Pace, the Seawolves had plenty of time to showcase future stars of the program. Most notable among those was the team's cavalcade of running talent, which accounted for 521 yards on just 57 carries.

In her recap of the game, the Stony Brook Statesman's Amy Streifer singled out back Jamie Williams. She also talked to head coach Chuck Priore about his team's success:

With different players seeing playtime against Pace, redshirt freshman Jamie Williams had his time to shine. Williams scored 3 touchdowns for 144 yards and gave fans at the game a glimpse into what type of rising stars are on Stony Brook’s roster.

“I think the exciting part is how excited other people were to see them have success,” head coach Chuck Priore said. “I think that shows the character of this team.”

Things haven't gone as swimmingly so far for Syracuse, having lost to Northwestern and USC in its opening two contests. Nevertheless, head coach Doug Marrone seems confident in his team's direction, especially after sticking with the No. 2 Trojans last Saturday.

In a Big East conference call on Monday, Marrone said the team's biggest weakness is how it starts and that should be a top priority going forward (via the San Francisco Chronicle):

I feel comfortable where we are. We played two excellent opponents. Northwestern is a 2-0 team having beaten an SEC team. Obviously, USC, everyone understands the type of team they are.

From the direction we're going, we feel very good. The thing we need to improve on is the early part of the game, of really settling in to what we're doing. We have to do a better job offensively early in the game and get ourselves going quicker. We haven't done that.

Stony Brook Player to Watch: QB Kyle Essington

While most of the offensive focus for the Seawolves will surround their running game, it's essential for quarterback Kyle Essington to take advantage of his opportunities when given.

Through two games in 2012, he's done just that. Completing 15-of-23 passes for 346 yards and five touchdowns with just one interception, he's been the perfect opportunist this season.

With the Orange undoubtedly loading up the box, it's likely that the senior signal-caller gets more chances than he's used to on Saturday. Considering that Essington has never been a particularly accurate quarterback, how he handles the increase in workload will be the difference between a closer-than-advertised game and a blowout. 

Syracuse Player to Watch: QB Ryan Nassib

If you had the senior signal-caller as your Big East breakout player of the year, feel free to pat yourself on the back. 

After two years of middling production in a relatively conservative offense, Nassib has broken free of his offensive constraints and has been fantastic so far in 2012. The Orange quarterback leads the nation through two weeks with 804 yards, and his six touchdowns tie Nassib for third.

Before this season, the 22-year-old had thrown over the 300-yard plateau just once in his two years as a starter. Nassib has already done that twice this year, including a performance against USC where he completed 30-of-46 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns.

He'll have to curb his tendency to throw interceptions (Nassib has three picks this year), but after years of anemic offensive play, the Syracuse offense is firing on all cylinders thanks to its sensational quarterback.

Key Matchup: Stony Brook Running Game vs. Syracuse Front Seven

Unalienable fact: If the Orange stop (or even slow down) the Seawolves' running attack, this game could turn into a blowout quickly. 

Essington is not the type of quarterback who can carry a team through four quarters. He's the quintessential "game manager"—a term that is over-used to indicate mediocrity but is apt in this situation. 

Fortunately for Stony Brook, the Syracuse front seven has been a mixed bag at stopping the run so far in 2012.

After a solid performance against Northwestern, giving up just 124 yards on 40 carries, the Orange regressed last week against USC. Trojan running backs Silas Redd and Curtis McNeal gained 170 yards on 26 carries, comprising much of the team's 258 total yards on the ground. 

The result of this game will almost solely rest on which Syracuse defensive front shows up on Saturday.

Prediction

In terms of production, expect somewhere in the middle for Stony Brook, as this game is far closer than advertised.

The Orange have shown an early-season penchant for playing the close game, and with a hoard of talented runners, expect the Seawolves to stick in the game early.

Regardless, it won't be for long. Syracuse is too talented and too high-powered on offense to lose this game. Expect a high-scoring affair, but one that ends with the Orange on top.

Score Prediction: Syracuse 52, Stony Brook 27

After months of negotiating and hand-wringing, Syracuse University has been given the go-ahead by the Big East to leave the conference earlier than the 27-month agreement in their contract and will be part of the ACC starting in July 2013.

The move helps the ACC as it tries to solidify itself as a player in the inevitable power conference realignment taking place as the new four-team playoff system and the eternal search for revenue creates a very "dog eat dog" atmosphere.

With the move, the ACC will be the first power football conference with 13 members and hope to add the Pittsburgh Panthers sooner rather than later. If Pitt can get a similar buyout, then the ACC can work on restructuring their divisions and look forward to a very potent basketball conference in the coming years. On the other hand, after much squabbling, the Panthers appear to be content on a 2014 entrance for a lower exit fee of around 5 million dollars.

As we learned from the last hostile takeover with the Big East, conference expansion has been anything but smooth for the ACC.

First was the fact that Syracuse and not Virginia Tech was supposed to be one of the three schools changing allegiances to the ACC. Then came the result that not all three schools even came at the same time.

If the ACC has to play 2013 with 13 teams, how will that impact the divisions?

Still, with so much to happen between now and then, the ACC should just be happy to be one step closer towards its ultimate plan of sticking around and gaining respect nationally.

With 14 teams soon to be under the conference flag and an agreement with the Orange Bowl and possibly Notre Dame in a major bowl game, where will the ACC go now?

The better question may be, where will the Big East go?

The fact that Big East commissioner Joe Bailey would claim that "the future of the conference has never been brighter" in the Syracuse press release is laughable.

With eight football-only schools stretching from Connecticut to California, the Big East has sold their soul to try and keep their already meager football conference afloat.

Sure people will point out that the ACC has had worse BCS success than even the Big East, but those schools that brought respectability are the ones jumping ship.

Cincinnati, Connecticut and Louisville are all programs that lack the historical foundation to be flagship programs of a conference.

Their recruiting classes over the past five years have paled in comparison to the ACC and it seems clear that the top programs like West Virginia, Pittsburgh and Syracuse knew it was time to jump from the sinking ship.

If the ACC can poach Connecticut, another likely target that fits the profile of a school from that conference, how many more defections can the program take?

Syracuse may not have had much success in recent years, but they are a program rich in tradition and prestige. Their basketball and lacrosse programs are one the best in the country in their respective sport.

Without question, Syracuse is a great addition to the ACC in all sports.

The ACC fans are just glad it's an addition that they need not wait on much longer. 

In another sign that the Big East Conference could end up in real trouble sooner rather than later, Syracuse University will be leaving the conference, pending a vote from the remaining Big East members, for the ACC on July 1, 2013, according to the Big East website:

Under the terms of the agreement reached between the Big East and Syracuse, the Big East members will vote, in accordance with the Big East’s bylaws, to terminate Syracuse’s membership in the Big East effective July 1, 2013, at which point Syracuse will join the ACC. In addition to other consideration, Syracuse will make a total cash payment to the Big East of $7.5 million.

The agreement will allow Syracuse to move to its new home one year earlier. The university was legally prohibited from moving to the ACC for 27 months, per the rules of the conference (h/t NBC Connecticut).

With Syracuse leaving the Big East early, Pittsburgh's fate will likely be decided soon. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported in May that Pitt had filed a lawsuit against the Big East in order to allow the university to join the ACC on July 1, 2013. 

With Syracuse on the way out a year early, the Big East is in a state of flux right now. It will get an infusion of talent, so to speak, when Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, SMU and Temple join in all sports for 2013. 

Conference shifting is a huge part of the college landscape now, especially with so much money and prestige at stake for all of these universities. The Big East and ACC are going to get serious makeovers; now we know they will come sooner than originally anticipated. 

Follow @adamwells1985