NCAAF Week 12: Syracuse vs. Louisville odds, preview, and pick

Two ACC schools are seeking a rare victory in 2020 as the Syracuse Orange (1-7) visit the Louisville Cardinals (2-6) at Cardinal Stadium on Friday night (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN). The home team will spot plenty of points in this one. Can the Cardinals cover, or will the underdog Orange prevail? Here’s our wagering preview.

The Orange offense is awful

Syracuse’s scorers are among the worst in the country in both passing yards per game (106th, 177.8) and rushing yards per game (119th, 86.0). It looks like they will once again trot out third-string freshman quarterback JaCobian Morgan, who at least looked respectable (19-for-30, 188 yards, one touchdown, one interception) in a 16-13 loss to Boston College on Nov. 7.

Running back Sean Tucker, held to 63 or fewer yards in three of his last four games, is the feature back in the Orange’s feeble rushing attack.

Louisville should ground down the Syracuse stoppers

Even without leading rusher Javian Hawkins (undisclosed) last week, the Cardinals managed a season-high 317 rushing yards against Virginia, albeit in a 31-17 defeat. Dynamic junior quarterback Malik Cunningham tallied a career-best 197 yards on the ground along with two rushing touchdowns in the loss.

It would be a boon for Louisville if they get both Hawkins and leading receiver Tutu Atwell (528 yards, five touchdowns) back for Friday’s affair.

The Cardinals boast the better defense

The Cardinals clearly have the better of the two offenses, and it looks like they also have an edge when it comes to defense too.

Louisville is 56th in the nation in total defense (392.1 yards allowed per game), not a terrible mark for a team sporting a 2-6 record. Syracuse, by contrast, is 107th in the same category (464.4 yards allowed per game).

Head-to-head trends make strong case for Cardinals, Over

The programs are plenty familiar with one another, but the Cardinals have had the Orange’s number of late. Louisville is 8-2 straight-up and 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 matchups.

Syracuse has had trouble putting together successive covers, as they enter Friday’s affair at 1-5 against the spread in their last six games following a spread victory. The Cardinals, who failed to cover last week, are 5-1-1 against the spread in their last seven games following a spread loss.

Totals bettors should note that the Over has cashed in six consecutive Louisville home games, and that these two teams have exceeded the total in four of their last five head-to-head contests.

Predicted score: Louisville 42, Syracuse 21

NCAAF picks: Cardinals spread, Over

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