Syracuse Orange vs Washington State Cougars Matchup

Check out our free Syracuse Orange vs Washington State Cougars pick and preview for this CFB DirecTV Holiday Bowl game in San Diego. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this DirecTV Holiday Bowl CFB matchup.

Washington State is the designated home team for this matchup, although it is being played at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, a neutral site. The game is set for 8:00 ET on Friday, December 27th, with FOX handling the broadcast. Syracuse comes in with a 9-3 record, while Washington State is 8-4. The Orange are -5.5-point favorites, and the over/under line is at 61.5 points.

Orange vs. Cougars Matchup At A Glance

Sport: CFB
Teams: Syracuse Orange at Washington State Cougars
Where: San Diego at Snapdragon Stadium
Date: Friday, December 27th
Betting Odds SYRA -5.5, SYRA -216 | WASHST +180 O/U 61.5

Orange Preview:

Syracuse enters their Week 1 matchup against Washington State with a 9-3 record. They’ve gone 4-1 at home and 2-2 on the road this season. The Orange have been favored in four games, going 3-1, and they’ve posted a 3-2 record as the underdog.

Syracuse’s ATS record stands at 4-5, and they have an average scoring margin of +3.9 points per game. They are 1-3 against the spread as the favorite and 2-3 ATS at home.

The over/under line for this week is 61.5 points. Syracuse’s games have averaged 61.2 points, with an average over/under line of 55.9 points. Their over/under record is 4-4-1 this season.

Orange Offense Breakdown

Syracuse’s offense has been centered around their passing game, leading the nation in passing attempts, completions, and yards per game. They are averaging 363.1 yards through the air and are ranked 28th in scoring with 32.6 points per game. Heading into this week, we have them ranked 20th in our offensive power rankings.

Kyle McCord has thrown for 4,326 yards this season, with 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He has a passer rating of 97. Jackson Meeks leads the receiving corps with 911 yards and seven touchdowns. Syracuse ranks 10th in third-down conversions, converting 48.9% of their attempts. Their running game has been less productive, averaging 94.8 yards per game.

Orange Team Defense

Defensively, Syracuse has allowed an average of 28.7 points per game this season, including 38 points in their recent matchup against Miami. The Orange gave up 503 total yards, with 349 yards coming through the air and 154 on the ground, while also allowing three rushing touchdowns.

Opponents have averaged 216 passing yards per game against Syracuse, completing 65.6% of their throws. Syracuse’s defense ranks 94th nationally against the run, giving up 153.8 rushing yards per game on 29.4 attempts per contest, which is the 16th fewest rushing attempts faced in the country.

Cougars Preview:

Syracuse’s ATS record stands at 4-5, and they have an average scoring margin of +3.9 points per game. They are 1-3 against the spread as the favorite and 2-3 ATS at home.

The over/under line for this week is 61.5 points. Syracuse’s games have averaged 61.2 points, with an average over/under line of 55.9 points. Their over/under record is 4-4-1 this season.

Cougars Offense Breakdown

Washington State’s offense has been strong this season, ranking 10th in scoring with 36.8 points per game. They are also 9th in passer rating and 25th in passing yards, averaging 268.8 yards per game. John Mateer has thrown for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns, and has a passer rating of 113.

Kyle Williams has caught 60 passes for 1,026 yards and 13 touchdowns. Washington State is ranked 33rd in our offensive power rankings heading into this week.

Cougars Team Defense

Washington State's defense allowed just 15 points in their recent game against Wyoming, but the Cougars still lost 15-14. They gave up 342 total yards, including 136 rushing yards on 39 attempts and 206 passing yards, while forcing one interception.

Opponents have averaged 28.1 points per game against Washington State this season. The defense has allowed 174 rushing yards per game and 255.3 passing yards, ranking 148th nationally in passing yards allowed.

Orange vs Cougars Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis

In their last five road games, Syracuse has averaged 29 points per game while allowing 32 . The team's record in this stretch was 3-2 while going 3-2 vs. the spread.
Across their five previous home games, Washington State has an ATS mark of 1-4. Their straight up record in these matchups was 2-3 while averaging 30 points per game.
As the betting underdog, the Washington State Cougars have an ATS record of 2-1 in their last three games. In these matchups their, straight up record was 2-1.
Against the spread, the Syracuse Orange have put together of 1-4 in their last five games as the betting favorite. In these same games, they went 4-1 straight up.