The Syracuse Orange (9-3, 5-3 ACC) will take on the Washington State Cougars (8-4) on Friday night in the DirecTV Holiday Bowl. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
Syracuse ended its regular season on a high note, spoiling Miami's bid for the College Football Playoff with a 42-38 victory at home.
The Orange are 9-3, as head coach Fran Brown has tied the school record for wins by a first-year head coach. They'll now look to secure their third 10-win season in the past 23 years.
Washington State also aspired for a 10-win season after an 8-1 start. However, it fizzled down the stretch, losing its final 3 games. Now, the team will look completely different, and as a result, this spread has ballooned.
Syracuse enters as a -17 favorite with the over/under set at 59.5.
Let's get to my Syracuse vs. Washington State predictions and college football picks for the 2024 Holiday Bowl on Friday, Dec. 27.
Syracuse Orange vs. Washington State Cougars Predictions, Best Bets
- Syracuse vs. Washington State Pick: Syracuse Team Total Over 37.5
My Washington State vs. Syracuse best bet is on the Orange to go over their team total, with the best line currently available at DraftKings, according to our live NCAAF odds page.
Syracuse vs. Washington State Odds, Spread, Betting Lines
| Syracuse Orange Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Point Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
-18.5 -108 | 58.5 -112 / -108 | -1000 |
| Washington State Cougars Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Point Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
+18.5 -112 | 58.5 -112 / -108 | +650 |
Syracuse vs. Washington State NCAAF Preview
Syracuse Orange Betting Preview
Quarterback Kyle McCord is trying to get another year of eligibility from the NCAA. If this is his only year in Syracuse, it will be a memorable one.
McCord leads the FBS with 4,326 passing yards and is tied for fifth with 29 touchdown passes. He has set school records in passing yards, touchdown passes and completions.
Joining McCord in the Syracuse record books are several pass catchers: wide receivers Trebor Pena (79) and Jackson Meeks (73), tight end Oronde Gadsden II (65) and running back LeQuint Allen Jr. (61).
That group holds four of the 14 highest single-season reception totals in school history.
Meeks, Pena and Gadsen have all reached the 800-yard receiving mark this season, while Allen has over 900 yards rushing to go along with 14 touchdowns. He closed the regular season with two touchdowns in four of his past five games.
Syracuse's explosive passing attack ranked seventh in Passing Success Rate. Considering how much it throws the ball, Syracuse does a good job of keeping McCord clean with just 24 sacks in 582 dropbacks, ranking 24th in Havoc Allowed.
It will have a big advantage over Washington State's defense in Finishing Drives as well.
Defensively, linebackers Marlowe Wax and Justin Barron and edge Fadil Diggs will look to end their careers on a high note.
Barron led the team with 81 tackles this season. Barron and Wax rank top-10 in tackles for Syracuse over the last 25 years. Meanwhile, Diggs lead the team with 13 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. He closed the regular season with a sack in his last three games.
Washington State Cougars Betting Preview
Before losing its final three games, Washington State had climbed up to No. 18 in the College Football Playoff rankings.
However, that's not the team that will be playing in this game. The Cougars have lost their head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and running backs coach.
They saw 10 starters enter the transfer portal, most notably quarterback John Mateer (3,965 total yards and 44 touchdowns), running back Wayshawn Parker, wide receiver Kris Hutson, right tackle Fa'alili Fa'amoe and defensive tackle David Gusta. Additionally, center Devin Kylany missed the final two games of the regular season, so his status bears monitoring.
Without Mateer, Zevi Eckhaus will likely get the start at quarterback. Eckhaus was a three-year starter at Bryant, but he has thrown just seven passes at the FBS level.
Meanwhile, this is a Washington State defense that was not good to begin with. It ranked 90th in scoring defense (28 PPG) and 117th in total defense, giving up 429 yards per game. It also ranked 125th in Tackling grade, per Pro Football Focus.
Now, without its defensive coordinator, multiple defensive linemen from its rotation and three starters in the secondary, Washington State will have a hard time slowing down Syracuse.
Washington State vs. Syracuse Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Washington State and Syracuse match up statistically:
Syracuse Offense vs. Washington State Defense
 | Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 83 | 114 | |
| Line Yards | 113 | 94 | |
| Pass Success | 7 | 52 | |
| Havoc | 24 | 82 | |
| Finishing Drives | 48 | 94 | |
| Quality Drives | 16 | 103 | |
Washington State Offense vs. Syracuse Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 30 | 61 | |
| Line Yards | 64 | 80 | |
| Pass Success | 5 | 107 | |
| Havoc | 93 | 57 | |
| Finishing Drives | 22 | 118 | |
| Quality Drives | 30 | 94 | |
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 112 | 125 |
| PFF Coverage | 111 | 35 |
| Special Teams SP+ | 96 | 103 |
| Middle 8 | 36 | 48 |
| Seconds per Play | 25.8 (47) | 25.8 (46) |
| Rush Rate | 40% (131) | 55% (65) |
Syracuse vs. Washington State Picks, Best Bets
Washington State will have a lot of moving parts for this bowl game. As a result, a line that opened at -2.5 is now -17.5 as of writing.
While I expect a comfortable Syracuse victory, a three-possession spread is more than I'm willing to lay considering its defense. If Syracuse does cover, it will likely be because of its high-powered offense. For that reason, I prefer its team total.
Syracuse has averaged 32.6 points per game this season and has scored 38 points five times already. Had it faced Washington State during the regular season, it likely would have gotten close to this total.
Washington State allowed 30 points five times and 38 points four times.
Now, facing a decimated Washington State defense, McCord and Co. shouldn't have much issue hanging 38 points or more in this bowl game.
Pick: Syracuse Team Total Over 37.5 Points (-145 · Play to -155)
Syracuse vs. Washington State Channel, How to Watch, Location, Streaming
| Location: | Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, CA |
| Date: | Friday, Dec. 27 |
| Kickoff Time: | 8 p.m. ET |
| TV / Streaming: | FOX |
Syracuse faces Washington State in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
Syracuse vs. Washington State Betting Trends to Know
Syracuse vs. Washington State Weather Forecast
