Syracuse vs. Washington State Expert Pick and Prediction – December 27, 2024

SYRACUSE VS. WASHINGTON STATE EXPERT PICK AND PREDICTION – December 27, 2024 — For Washington State, the story here is what might have been. The Cougars were riding high for a while and looked to be on track to steal a playoff bid by coming out of the Pac-2. Instead, they completely fell apart in the final three games.

What started as a brilliant 8-1 season became 8-4, as Washington State fell to New Mexico, Oregon State and Wyoming. The Cougars then watched coach Jake Dickert get out of town as he jumped to Wake Forest, likely to avoid the hot seat after a third straight late-season collapse.

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An exodus followed, and the Cougars are a shell of what they used to be. And that’s a big problem against surging Syracuse. The Orange won their final three games and have their sights set on a 10-win season. Syracuse has only won 10 games twice in the past quarter-century, and getting there in Fran Brown’s first year would represent a major shift for the Orange.

Since moving to the ACC, Syracuse has mostly been non-competitive, except for when Clemson comes to town. That’s partially a product of getting placed in the Atlantic, which Clemson and Florida State dominated until the end of divisional play. The Orange finished fourth in the ACC this year, and they could be on track for a bigger season next year. Getting to 10 wins would be a big step forward.

The Odds

Kickoff

When: Friday, December 27 at 8 p.m.

Where: Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego

TV: Fox

Public Bets: Unavailable

Public Money: Unavailable

Syracuse vs. Washington State In-Season Trends

Inconsistency, thy name is Syracuse. The Orange played eight ACC games this year, and they bounced back and forth from cover to not covering. Syracuse never once covered in consecutive games against Power 5 opponents, going 4-4 ATS against the ACC. They finished by covering against Miami, so the pattern suggests them falling short of the number this time.

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Washington State has folded in the second half of the season year after year under Jake Dickert, and it happened again. The Cougars went just 1-4 ATS to end the season, and they have been known to no-show in bowl games. In Dickert’s first year, his best in Pullman, Washington State failed to show for the Sun Bowl and got picked off by Central Michigan. A year later, Washington State met a motivated Fresno State team and wasn’t even close, losing by 23.

Weather

With temperatures in the 60s, the only thing to worry about here is the air quality being less than great. Otherwise, the weather will be great for football.

The Difference-Makers

Zevi Eckhaus is a true wild card taking over for John Mateer. Mateer left for Oklahoma, and Eckhaus gets to start his final game as a reward. He threw all of seven passes this year, so there’s not much to prep for.

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Kyle McCord showed he was far from a washout at Ohio State, directing the Syracuse offense with ease all year long. Washington State is going to have a tough assignment stopping him from moving the ball all over the field.

The Pick

This likely isn’t going to go well for the Cougars. Washington State has very little left after its depletion, and that includes the coaching staff. This is a team that couldn’t play defense at full strength, and it is now nowhere near that.

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Syracuse has lots of motivation and most of its team on the field. This probably won’t be as ugly as Georgia-Florida State was, but it shouldn’t be much of a contest.