The defending national champion Clemson Tigers will take their undefeated record on the road this week for a matchup with the Syracuse Orange. Syracuse has been a thorn in the side of the Tigers in the last few seasons, but things feel a little more lopsided heading into this matchup. Playing on the road in college football is never an easy task, and Syracuse does present an intimidating road environment.
Clemson comes into this game with a perfect 2-0 record and already has a signature win under its belt. The Tigers were methodical in knocking off Texas A&M a week ago and came away with a 24-10 home victory. Syracuse got off to a great start with a 24-0 win over Liberty in week one, but things went south in a hurry in week two. The Orange were embarrassed by Maryland in suffering a brutal 63-20 loss. Clemson comes into this game as 27.5-point favorites on the road at Syracuse.
Clemson Can Win in Many Ways
Everyone knows about the offensive stars that Clemson has on its roster, but the defense can get the job done as well. The defense has been solid all season long and completely shut down a terrific Texas A&M offensive team. Clemson has already recorded six sacks, and their defensive line has been terrific despite having to replace all of the starters from a year ago. The Tigers should put up another low number against a weaker Syracuse offense in this game.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has yet to put up the eye-popping offensive numbers that he did a season ago, but he remains one of the best players in the country. Lawrence has thrown for 436 yards this season but has thrown three interceptions. Running back Travis Etienne has been explosive this season and is averaging 9.2 yards per carry. The Clemson offense should find some holes against the Syracuse defense.
Syracuse Needs to Find Some Defense
If Syracuse is going to keep this game close, then its defense is going to have to make a ton of improvement. The Orange were repeatedly gashed by Maryland, and their secondary was a mess. Syracuse defensive back Andre Cisco does have a pair of interceptions this season, but he needs some help in this game.
Syracuse quarterback Tommy DeVito has already thrown for 506 yards this season, and he has plenty of talent. DeVito has been sacked six times and thrown three interceptions and taking care of the ball is top priority in this game. Running back Moe Neal is averaging close to 85 yards per game as well, and the Orange will need him to have a big game to control the clock. The Syracuse offense will need to be sharp to keep this game close.
Clemson Earns Blowout Road Victory
This was supposed to be one of the more difficult games on the Clemson schedule this season, but it hasn’t worked out that way. Syracuse was exposed by Maryland a weekend ago, and they come into this game searching for answers. The Orange will likely play much better in this game, but they won’t be able to keep this game close for long. Clemson is almost impossible to stop, and they will put up some huge numbers in this game. Bet the Clemson Tigers -27.5 over the Syracuse Orange in this ACC battle.
