Syracuse Orange vs Western Michigan Broncos Point Spread Picks

Syracuse had no trouble with FCS Colgate as it demolished the Raiders 65-0 and Umari Hatcher had four catches for 105 yards and Garrett Shrader and Carlos Del Rio-Wilson combined for 28 of 37 for 406 yards and seven touchdowns for the Orange. LeQuint Allen also rushed for 107 yards in an all-around dominating performace by Syracuse, which was a 40-point favorite. It was a promising start to the season even though it was against inferior competition because the Orange ended 2022 losing six of their final seven games and they have an opportunity for another big win this week against Western Michigan, which also comes off an FCS opponent and the Broncos best St. Francis (PA) 35-17. The Broncos have a new head coach in Lance Taylor following a 5-7 season and they are looking to improve offensively after their QBs threw more interceptions than touchdowns and they averaged only 3.5 yards per carry last year. Jack Salopek was 18 of 26 passing for 170 yards against St. Francis, but the Broncos obviously will have a tougher opponent this week. Western Michigan has gone UNDER seven games in a row and five straight as an underdog. Syracuse is 4-0 ATS following a win by 20-plus points and it returns eight defensive starters. Take Syracuse to cover, and make it a Max Play on the UNDER.

Going into last week's game with Clemson, Syracuse had played the Tigers tougher than anyone recently. That wasn't the case this time around as Syracuse lost 41-6 at home. The Orange lost a lot of their offense from a season ago to graduation. It has been tough sledding on that side of the ball to open the season, as they are producing just 16.7 points per game. Western Michigan put up some gaudy offensive numbers vs. Georgia State and Monmouth, but this is a step up in class in a hostile building. Most of Western Michigan's ventures against P5 Conferences have come vs. Big-10 and ACC opponents. In 41 contests vs. the Big-10, the Broncos average 17.4 points per game, and in eight games vs. the ACC that drops to just 16.4 ppg. That means the Syracuse offense isn't nearly what it was last season is going to have to put up 50+ and I don't see it. Make the play on the UNDER.

Syracuse plays its home games indoors, which is tailor-made for its offense, but opens the season outdoors at Western Michigan. The Syracuse offense lost its top two receivers, so Devin Butler and Nykeim Johnson lead a group of largely inexperienced targets. The Orange defense should take a big step forward as the secondary returns its best players and up front nose tackle Chris Slayton has developed into one of the most dominant forces in the ACC. In addition, Syracuse has a pair of experienced edge rushers in juniors Kendall Coleman and Alton Robinson. Syracuse is on a 19-6-1 run UNDER the total, including 15-5-1 UNDER on fieldturf. They face a Western Michigan offense that has a new playcaller as head coach Tim Lester is taking over after Kevin Johns left to be the OC at Texas Tech. The defense was hit hard by injuries in 2017 but they are healthy for this one. Defenses are often ahead of the offenses in Week 1. That will be the case here and note that when Syracuse faces the MAC they are 9-4 UNDER the total. Back the UNDER in this one.