UNLV vs. Syracuse Prediction 10-4-24 College Football Picks

The Syracuse Orange and UNLV Rebels meet Friday night in Week 6 college football action at Allegiant Stadium. We will look at this from a betting perspective and identify the best bets for this game. Here is a UNLV vs. Syracuse prediction.

Summary of Syracuse

The Syracuse Orange will be looking to extend their 3-1 record into this game after defeating Holy Cross by a final score of 42-14 in their last outing. After that game, Syracuse will travel back east for a matchup with NC State before the bye week.

McCord keeps the Orange offense afloat

Kyle McCord threw for 1,459 yards, 14 touchdowns and 5 interceptions on a 64.4% pass rate, while LeQuint Allen threw for a team-high 287 yards and a touchdown. Trebor Pena has a team-high 26 receptions for 316 yards and 5 touchdowns, while Jackson Meeks, Umari Hatcher and Oronde Gadsden II each have over 200 receiving yards and 2+ TDs so far this season. Two other Syracuse receivers also have over 100 receiving yards this year. On defense, Derek McDonald has a team-high 26 total tackles, including 16 solo tackles, while KingJoseph Edwards has a team-high 3 sacks and Fadil Diggs has a pair of sacks. As a unit, Syracuse’s defense has recorded 9 sacks and 4 interceptions so far this season.

Why the Syracuse Orange will win

• UNLV has lost 11 of its last 12 home games in October.
• Syracuse has won six of its last seven games against non-conference opponents.
• Syracuse has covered the spread in seven of its last eight road openings.
• UNLV failed to make up the difference in each of its final four games in October as a home favorite against teams not ranked in the AP.

UNLV Summary

The UNLV Rebels come into this game looking to remain undefeated after being 4-0 on the year after defeating Fresno State 59-14 in their last game. After that game, UNLV will hit the road to face Utah State.

The Rebels’ offense doesn’t miss a beat despite the QB change

Hajj-Malik Williams has thrown for 182 yards and 3 touchdowns on an 81.3% pass rate while also rushing for 207 yards and a touchdown. Greg Burrell, Kylin James and Michael Allen have all had over 100 rushing yards so far this season. Ricky White III leads the Rebels with 20 grabs for 253 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns so far this season. On defense, Jackson Woodard leads the Rebels with 31 total tackles and 3 sacks, while Jalen Catalon has a team-high 4 interceptions. As a team, UNLV has recorded 13 sacks and 9 interceptions so far this season.

Why the UNLV Rebels will win

• Syracuse has lost 10 of its last 11 road games in October.
• UNLV has covered the spread in 12 of its last 13 games against non-conference opponents.
• Syracuse has failed to cover the spread in each of its last four games against non-conference opponents.

UNLV vs Syracuse Prediction

I’m here at UNLV. I think it works in the Orange’s favor considering how good Kyle McCord looked leading this offense. However, UNLV didn’t miss a beat when Matthew Sluka left as Williams and that UNLV offense spread all over Fresno State and I think they come out with flying colors here. It’s not often that the Rebels get a chance to host a non-conference opponent, and it’s looking more and more like UNLV could be the team to represent the Group of 5, when the College Football Playoff rolls around, if it stays that way. I’ll lay it down and play with UNLV here.