The ACC Coastal Division usually produces chaos that goes down to the wire, with no one team ever pulling away and a seven-way tie at 4-4 seeming feasible. This year, however, Pitt has wrapped up the division with a week to play. While the Panthers are taking a season-ending victory lap, their opponent, Syracuse, is playing to keep the season alive and possibly save its coach. Let’s see the NCAAF odds.
Saturday, November 27, 2021 – 7:30 PM EST at Carrier Dome
The ACC Coastal Division usually produces chaos that goes down to the wire, with no one team ever pulling away and a seven-way tie at 4-4 always seeming feasible. This year, however, things are different. Pitt has wrapped up the division with a week to play and will be playing in the ACC Championship Game.
While the Panthers are taking a season-ending victory lap, their opponent, Syracuse, has plenty to play for. At 5-6, the Cuse will look to become bowl eligible and extend their season. Syracuse coach Dino Babers is also on the hot seat, and getting the team’s regular-season record even for the year might help keep him in place. Pittsburgh will be looking to reach the 10-win mark for the first time since 1981.
With the division wrapped up, Pitt has the temptation to rest its starters to keep them healthy and cut down on wear and tear. Coach Pat Narduzzi made it clear that wasn’t going to happen Saturday in Syracuse. “That would be a natural question: ‘Let’s go up there and keep them all healthy and play our backups and get ready for the championship game,’” Narduzzi said. “I would love to do that, but I don’t see us doing that.”
Narduzzi also doesn’t want to risk tinkering with the team’s chemistry by taking out the starters. In 2018, the last time the Panthers won the division a week early, their regular-season finale, the ACC Championship Game, and their bowl game.“I don’t know if that had anything to do with handling success, but we’ll find out,” Narduzzi said. “We’ll find out this weekend for sure up in Syracuse.”
One starter who won’t be on the field for the start of the game is strong safety Brandon Hill. The sophomore was ejected in the second half of last week’s game against Virginia for targeting and, by rule, must sit out the first half of this week’s game.
Syracuse will be playing for its sixth win of the season, which would make the Orange bowl eligible for the first time since 2018. Six wins would also match the combined total of Syracuse wins for the last two seasons. The Cuse has been on the brink of bowl eligibility all month long after beating Boston College for its fifth win on the day before Halloween.
Syracuse has scored a total of 20 points in two losses since then, at Louisville and at NC State. Pitt will be the second straight-ranked opponent the Orange have faced. Coach Dino Babers was considered by many to be on the hot seat heading into the season, and the 5-6 record likely hasn’t done much to cool things down.
Babers downplayed questions about his security, saying, “My job belongs to my employer. My career belongs to me. I only control the things that I can control.” Running back Sean Tucker has come out in favor of his coach, declaring that he plans to return to Syracuse for another season next year unless there’s a coaching change. Tucker is the leading rusher in the ACC and has a chance to lead the nation in rushing. He’s currently in third place.
Pittsburgh is the more talented team, but the question of motivation evens things up. Even with the coach declaring that everyone is playing, the sense of urgency will be tough to keep at the same level as it has been all season long. Pitt could be stepping into a trap on the road at a desperate team that is facing a must-win game. For my NCAAF picks, Syracuse may not pull the upset, but the Orange can hang close.
NCAAF Pick: Syracuse +13.5 (-110) with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
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