Friday's college football schedule kicks off with an ACC showdown as the Syracuse Orange host the Stanford Cardinal at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game can be seen live on ESPN.
The Orange enter at an undefeated 2-0, while the Cardinal sit at 1-1 after losing to TCU in a nonconference clash earlier in the season.
Syracuse enters as a -8.5 favorite, while the over/under comes in at 56.5.
Let's dive right into my Stanford vs. Syracuse predictions and college football picks for Friday, Sept. 20.
Stanford Cardinal vs Syracuse Orange Prediction
- Stanford vs Syracuse Pick: Syracuse -8.5
My Syracuse-Stanford best bet is on the Orange to cover, with the best line currently available at bet365, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
Stanford vs Syracuse Odds, Line, Spread
| Stanford Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+9.5 -110 | 57.5 -110o / -110u | +280 |
| Syracuse Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-9.5 -110 | 57.5 -110o / -110u | -350 |
- Stanford vs Syracuse Point Spread: Stanford +9.5 · Syracuse -9.5
- Stanford vs Syracuse Total: Over/Under 57.5 Points
- Stanford vs Syracuse Moneyline: Stanford ML +280 · Syracuse ML -350
Stanford Football vs Syracuse Football
Stanford Cardinal Betting Preview: New League, Same Problems
Maybe one day we'll get used to Stanford playing in the ACC, but that day hasn't arrived yet.
Regardless of its conference, the Cardinal appear to be of similar quality as last year, which is to say they aren't very good.
Stanford opened its season with a 34-27 home loss to TCU, then beat FCS Cal Poly two weeks ago, so this team hasn't proved it's any better than last season.
Junior Ashton Daniels is a solid college quarterback, but probably not much more than that. He's completed 62.1% of his throws for 384 yards, three touchdowns and one pick, leading a Stanford offense that ranks 61st in passing success rate.
Big-bodied wideout Elic Ayomanor is Stanford's go-to pass-catcher with 10 receptions for 147 yards.
While Stanford has an average passing game, it can't run the ball worth a lick. It is averaging 3.5 yards per carry (this is after playing an FCS team, by the way) and ranks 99th in Rush Success Rate and 113th in Rushing EPA.
Defensively, it's hard to get a grasp on the Cardinal because they've played two games, and one was against Cal Poly.
Stanford is essentially inactive in the transfer portal, so it's fair to assume its defense is only marginally better than the unit that allowed 37.7 points per game last year.
Syracuse Orange Betting Preview: Orange You Glad You Got McCord
Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord is turning into another transfer portal success story.
It turns out that being the guy who follows C.J. Stroud is an unenviable position. Despite throwing for 3,170 yards, 24 touchdowns and six picks in 2023, McCord was not guaranteed the starting job at Ohio State, so he made his way to Syracuse.
That decision has worked out for McCord. He has thrown four touchdowns in each of his first two games with the Orange and is completing 69.4% of his passes for 735 yards and eight touchdowns.
His eight touchdown passes are tied for 11th in college football, even though he's played just two games. His production is the main reason why Syracuse is sixth in passing success rate and eighth in EPA per dropback.
The Orange wouldn't have beaten a pretty good Georgia Tech team without him, especially since Syracuse is a bad running team at 105th in rushing success rate. Oronde Gadsden II and Trebor Pena have combined for seven touchdown catches as McCord's top targets.
Although Syracuse's defense isn't awful, it's not a plus unit either. It is giving up 25 points per game and has one interception and four sacks through two games. It's also 113th in Rush Success Rate allowed. That leaky rush defense will catch up to the Orange at some point this season, but Stanford's meager run game probably won't be able to exploit it.
Syracuse vs Stanford Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Syracuse and Stanford match up statistically:
Stanford Offense vs. Syracuse Defense
 | Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 99 | 113 | |
| Line Yards | 131 | 85 | |
| Pass Success | 61 | 82 | |
| Havoc | 119 | 85 | |
| Finishing Drives | 33 | 92 | |
| Quality Drives | 46 | 114 | |
Syracuse Offense vs. Stanford Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 105 | 95 | |
| Line Yards | 97 | 5 | |
| Pass Success | 6 | 105 | |
| Havoc | 5 | 95 | |
| Finishing Drives | 11 | 82 | |
| Quality Drives | 8 | 63 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 75 | 121 |
| PFF Coverage | 110 | 107 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 64 | 84 |
| Middle 8 | 15 | 75 |
| Seconds per Play | 28.5 (85) | 26.5 (52) |
| Rush Rate | 51% (88) | 42% (119) |
How to Bet My Stanford vs Syracuse Pick
So, let me get this straight: Stanford has to fly all the way across the country for a Friday night game against a Syracuse team with a red-hot quarterback?
Yeah, give me the Orange to cover.
Syracuse's flaws will show up to some degree in this game, but it can make up for it with a strong passing attack, and I just don't see Stanford being good enough to keep up.
Pick: Syracuse -8.5 (Play to -9)
How to Watch Stanford vs Syracuse
| Location: | JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY |
| Date: | Saturday, Sept. 21 |
| Kickoff Time: | 7:30 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | ESPN |
College Football Betting Trends for Syracuse vs Stanford
- Stanford is 1-1 straight up and against the spread this season.
- The over has cashed once in Stanford's two games.
- Syracuse is 2-0 straight up and 1-1 against the spread in 2024.
- The over and under have both hit once in Syracuse games this season.
