Virginia vs. Syracuse Football Prediction and Best Bets

We’ve already arrived at Week 4 of the 2022 NCAA college football season. One of the upcoming matchups that a lot of fans are looking forward to is a Friday night ACC showdown between the Virginia Cavaliers and Syracuse Orange.

? Syracuse

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— Virginia Cavaliers (@VirginiaSports) September 22, 2022

After a blowout loss to Illinois, Virginia bounced back last week with a 16-14 victory over Old Dominion. It was a close matchup that came right down to the wire as the Cavaliers won thanks to a buzzer-beating 26-yard field goal from Brendan Farrell.

Syracuse was also victorious last week, improving their record to 3-0 after a 32-29 victory against Purdue. Quarterback Garrett Shrader threw for 181 yards and three touchdowns, with 112 of those yards and two TDs going to wideout Oronde Gadsden II.

Here are BetMGM’s latest Cavaliers vs Orange betting odds, as well as a prediction and best bet for the upcoming NCAAF tilt.

Virginia vs Syracuse Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Virginia Cavaliers (2-1, 0-0 ACC) vs. Syracuse Orange (3-0, 1-0 ACC)
• Venue & Location: JMA Wireless Dome (Syracuse, New York)
• Date: Friday, Sept. 23, 2022
• Game Time: 7 p.m. Eastern Time
• Where to Watch Virginia vs Syracuse: ESPN

Virginia vs Syracuse Odds

Game odds are via BetMGM as of Friday, Sept. 23 at 8:15 a.m. ET. Odds from other top online sportsbooks may also be mentioned in this article.

Spread

• Virginia +10.5 (-120)
• Syracuse -10.5 (+100)

Over/Under

• Over 53.5 (-110)
• Under 53.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Virginia +290
• Syracuse -375

Virginia vs Syracuse Betting Trends

• Virginia is 2-11 straight up in its last 13 road games.
• Syracuse is 3-13 straight up in its last 16 games against the ACC.
• Virginia is 1-6 against the spread (ATS) in its last seven games.
• Syracuse is 7-1 ATS in its last eight home games.
• The total has hit the under in each of Virginia’s last five games played in September.
• The total has hit the under in each of Syracuse’s last five games played on a Friday.

Virginia vs Syracuse Prediction and Picks

Virginia vs Syracuse Prediction: Syracuse 24, Virginia 21

Virginia vs Syracuse: Virginia +10.5 (Best Value: -120 at BetMGM) & Under 53.5 Points (Best Value: -110 at BetMGM)

Friday night’s matchup marks the sixth head-to-head meeting between Virginia and Syracuse. The Cavaliers have won three of the previous five showdowns, which includes their most recent meeting — a 44-38 victory against the Orange in 2015.

However, this is a different Syracuse squad that’s shocked a lot of people with its 3-0 start. Not only did the Orange beat the Boilermakers last week, but they also have blowout wins over both UConn and Louisville.

Meanwhile, Virginia has struggled to handily beat its opponents. The Cavaliers’ only victories this fall are against Old Dominion and Richmond, which are hardly the toughest opponents.

It’ll be interesting to see if Syracuse’s offense can find success against Virginia. Shrader and the offense have looked great this year, but the Cavaliers are only allowing 19.0 points (T-No. 34) and 215.5 passing yards (No. 46) per game.

Instead, I expect the Orange to turn to their run game, which has been a weak spot for the Cavaliers defense. It’s going to be a game that’s won in the trenches, but I do have faith for Dino Babers’ squad to get the job done at home.

Having said that, this game should be a lot closer than the odds suggest. Yes, Syracuse has had the better start to the schedule, but Virginia was projected to be better than its shown and the program’s first ACC matchup of the year could bring out the best in the Cavaliers.

While Syracuse should win, I will take Virginia to keep things close on the 10.5-point spread. I also think that the two defenses are strong enough to prevent this game from being a shootout, so give me the under on the 53.5-point total as well.

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