Kicking off in the early portion of the Week 5 college football slate, the Syracuse Orange will take on the Connecticut Huskies. There are roughly 250 miles between these two programs, adding some geographical bragging rights, and Syracuse holds a 7-6 all-time series advantage. These teams faced off last season, which resulted in a 27-20 win by the Orange.
Looking at the odds for this year’s matchup, Syracuse enters as a seven-point favorite and are -265 favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook. UConn holds +215 odds of winning outright, with the game total set at 50.5 points.
This article previews both teams and offers a pick for the Week 5 CFB matchup.
Syracuse vs. UConn Preview
Syracuse Orange
Syracuse enters with a 1-2 record on the season and has also gone 1-2 against the spread. The Orange kicked off the year with a convincing 66-3 victory over New Hampshire, in which they covered the massive 35.5-point spread. However, Syracuse is coming off back-to-back losses, falling 21-18 to California as four-point favorites, and 27-13 to Pittsburgh. The Orange failed to keep within the 10.5-point spread in the previous loss.
Steve Angeli stands in at quarterback for the Orange and has had some early struggles this season. The Notre Dame transfer suffered a torn Achilles last year, which limited the outlook for the team for a season. But through the first three games since he has returned, Angeli has completed just 54.8% of his passing attempts for 731 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, and five interceptions. He has battled a few injury scares already this season, but Syracuse remains committed to sticking with him.
Shavane Anderson Jr. leads the rushing game with 30 rush attempts for 146 yards and three touchdowns, while Tylik Hill adds 147 rushing yards and a score of his own. Umari Hatcher is the team’s leading wide receiver with 17 receptions for 282 yards through the air and a pair of touchdowns. Justus Ross-Simmons is the lone other player to have over 100 yards through the air, while Daunte Bacheyie has added a pair of touchdown receptions.
Fran Brown’s squad is averaging 32.3 points per game through their opening three matchups, which ranks 60th out of the 138 qualifying D1 teams. Syracuse has limited opponents to 17.0 points per game, which currently ranks 34th in the country.
UConn
The UConn Huskies are off to a 2-2 start to the season both straight up and against the spread. They opened the year with a convincing 56-7 win over Lafayette in which they tallied 671 yards of total offense and covered the 21.5-point spread. UConn then fell 38-14 to Maryland, in which they were unable to cover the 11.5-point spread and were outgained 475-223. The Huskies responded by defeating Southern Miss 48-20 to comfortably cover the 3.5-point spread, before falling just shy against Miami (OH) 24-21 as 3.5-point underdogs.
Kalieb Osborne stands in at quarterback and has completed 61.4% of his pass attempts for 850 passing yards, seven touchdowns, and two interceptions, while adding 220 rushing yards and five scores on the ground. Cyncir Bowers adds 186 rushing yards and three scores of his own, while Kenji Christian and Trey Cornist have also added over 100 yards on the ground each. Shamar Porter headlines the receiving production with 184 yards through the air and a pair of touchdowns. Javon Brown is not far behind with 153 yards and two scores of his own, while Jediyah Willoughby and Ryder Treadway have each tallied 100+ yards.
Jason Candle’s group is scoring 34.8 points per game through their opening four matchups, which ranks 49th out of the 138 qualifying D1 teams. Connecticut is allowing 22.2 points per contest, which ranks 66th, and they have been most vulnerable through the air by giving up 279.8 passing yards per game.
Syracuse vs. UConn Pick
While UConn still has some questions to answer about where they rank in the hierarchy of college football, it is puzzling to me that Syracuse is favored by an entire touchdown in this matchup.
This is a Syracuse team that has just three total wins in the 13 months since these teams last faced off. Steve Angeli was the scapegoat for why Syracuse’s season completely imploded last year, but the quarterback has been the driving reason for the struggles this season. His five interceptions to four touchdown passes have led to a growing number of voices questioning if he even is the best option at quarterback currently, and he has just one touchdown to five interceptions if you exclude the opening-week matchup against a poor New Hampshire team. Angeli’s decision-making has been erratic, and the Syracuse offense has stumbled as a result.
For the Orange to have a chance in this matchup, they are going to need to score some points. UConn is averaging 34.8 points per game on the season and have tallied 48+ points twice already this year. They also are boasting a 100% red zone percentage and are tied for fourth in the country in first quarter scoring at 14.0 points per game. They have won the first half in eight of their last nine home games, and this will spell trouble for Syracuse if they are forced to play from behind and air it out at a more frequent rate than they desire.
Syracuse has lost 10 of its last 11 games outright, and failed to cover the spread in five consecutive games against FBS Independents. Connecticut has won nine of its last 10 home games, and covered the spread in five of their past six games at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. There is a higher bar of expectations for this Huskies team than has been seen with the Orange, and expect this to be put on display in this matchup. Count on Connecticut to have no trouble keeping this game within striking distance and don’t be surprised if there is an outright upset.
