Syracuse, N.Y. -- The Syracuse football team has played four consecutive one-score games. The early betting line indicates the Orange could be in for another close matchup this weekend.
Syracuse opened as a 3.5-point road underdog for Saturday’s game at Virginia Tech, according to the website VegasInsider.com. The over-under is 45.5 points.
If that line holds up it will be the seventh time in eight games that Syracuse will be an underdog this season. Syracuse is 2-4 in its six games as an underdog and 6-1 against the spread this year.
It is the smallest point spread that Syracuse has faced in an ACC game since the Orange was a 2-point underdog against Duke last season. The Orange are 3-4 (0-3 ACC) this season, while Virginia Tech is 3-3 (1-1 ACC).
While Syracuse will need to bounce back from three consecutive close losses, the Hokies will have their own emotional rebounding to do. Virginia Tech’s last two weeks have included a close loss to Notre Dame and a damaging 28-7 home loss to Pittsburgh.
The close loss to Notre Dame had fans second-guessing some of head coach Justin Fuente’s decisions, including kicking a field goal from a 1-yard-line and a decision to punt on 4th-and-1 after the Fighting Irish offense had just raced down the field to tie the game. The Hokies had a two-point conversation attempt hampered by a penalty (a false start) and Virginia Tech opted to go for it after a penalty, a decision that ended up being costly.
The second-guessing of a head coach on the hot seat for his late-game decisions will sound familiar to fans in Central New York.
The meeting will give Syracuse a second consecutive opportunity against one of the ACC’s worst offensive teams. The Orange held down Clemson but struggled to move the ball on Friday in a 17-14 loss.
The Hokies are averaging fewer yards than any team in the ACC and outscoring only Clemson, while rushing for a league low 3.6 yards per attempt. Virginia Tech also has concerns at quarterback where Braxton Burmeister has been both ineffective and dealing with injury, leaving the Notre Dame game briefly.
Virginia Tech has been relatively good on defense. It was the first team this season to hold Pittsburgh to fewer than 40 points and is allowing just 20.2 per game. That effort has been helped by forcing eight turnovers but the Hokies could be without the ACC’s leader in interceptions, Jermaine Waller, who left the Pittsburgh loss due to injury.
Syracuse also finished its game this week without key players, with both starting guard Chris Bleich and starting cornerback Garrett Williams finishing the game on the sidelines after attempting to play.
The teams haven’t met since 2016, when Syracuse earned a 31-17 upset in the Carrier Dome over a Virginia Tech team that arrived ranked No. 17 in the country, a moment that inspired early optimism about SU head coach Dino Babers.
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