by Rod Pearson
Monday, Dec 18, 2023
Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Thursday, December 21, 2023
Venue: FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, FL
Where to Watch: ESPN
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Point Spread: USF +1.5, Syracuse -1.5; Over/Under: 59 points
Bet365: Point Spread: USF +1, Syracuse -1; Over/Under: 59 points
BetMGM: Point Spread: USF +1, Syracuse -1; Over/Under: 58.5 points
Season Record
South Florida Bulls: 6-6 (4-4) (5th place, AAC)
Syracuse Orange: 6-6 (2-6) (11th place, ACC)
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Recent Form
South Florida Bulls: won their last game at home against the Charlotte 49ers 48-14.
Syracuse Orange: won their last game at home against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 35-31.
South Florida Bulls vs Syracuse Orange Preview and Analysis
South Florida is entering this game with a 6-6 record overall and they have a 4-4 record in their conference games too. They are 4-2 in their home games, 2-4 in their road games, and they are also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at a neutral site for this game. They won their last game against Charlotte 48-14. Byrum Brown was the starting QB and he completed 22/30 passes for 253 passing yards, 4 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Michel Dukes led the team in rushing yards with 104. Kelley Joiner Jr. led the receivers with 71 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 2 TDs. Jhalyn Shuler led the defense in that game with 4 solo tackles and 5 assisted tackles while Jamie Pettway led the defense in sacks with 1. Logan Berryhill and Mac Harris each came away with 1 interception for them in that game.
Syracuse is entering this game with a 6-6 record overall and they have a 2-6 record in their conference games too. They are 4-2 in their home games, 1-4 in their road games, and they are also 1-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at a neutral site for this game. They won their last game against Wake Forest 35-31. Garrett Shrader was the starting QB and he completed 10/15 passes for 173 passing yards, 3 touchdowns, and 1 interception. LeQuint Allen led the team in rushing yards with 144. Damien Alford led the receivers with 126 receiving yards on 4 receptions and 2 TDs. Marlowe Wax led the defense in that game with 7 solo tackles and 0 assisted tackles while Kevon Darton led the defense in sacks with 2. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that game.
South Florida vs Syracuse Prediction
The current betting odds have South Florida listed as a 1.5 point underdog in this Boca Raton Bowl game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. South Florida hasn't looked great in their games this season with their 6-6 record overall but they needed to win their final game of the season to become bowl eligible and did so with a blowout win. Meanwhile, Syracuse hasn't been any better this season with their 6-6 record overall and they also needed to win their final game of the season to get here which they did. Syracuse had a great start to the season but everything fell apart in their conference games as they started to lose a ton of games. They have already fired their head coach and their starting QB will be out for this game too. Syracuse is with their interim head coach who pulled off that win at home against Wake Forest to become bowl eligible, but the team has already hired their future head coach too so there is not a lot of motivation for Syracuse to finish the season strong with their interim. South Florida has every reason to finish strong though since they have been terrible over the last few years but their new head coach has pulled this program out of the gutter. They needed to win their final game of the season to get here and did so in blowout fashion, now Golesh will have his team motivated to finish strong with a bowl win here. The best way to place a bet here is on South Florida to cover the spread in this game.
South Florida Syracuse Prediction: Our NCAAF Pick for Thursday, December 21, 2023 (8:00 pm ET start time) is South Florida 38 Syracuse 27.
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NCAAF Betting Trends
South Florida Bulls: 1-5 ATS after allowing 31 points or more in 2 straight games. 18-24 ATS after 3 consecutive games where they committed 1 or less turnovers. 8-4 OVER after playing 3 straight conference games. 8-4 OVER in games played on a grass field. 23-15 OVER after 3 consecutive games where they committed 1 or less turnovers.
Syracuse Orange: 11-5 ATS when the total is between 56.5 and 63. 10-5 ATS after playing a game at home. 22-14 ATS after gaining 7.25 or more yards/play in their previous game. 22-14 OVER in all games. 10-5 OVER after playing a game at home. 12-6 OVER after a game where they committed 1 or less turnovers.
Key Injuries
South Florida Bulls: J. Vaughn (DE) out for season - Undisclosed. G. Bohanon (QB) Out indefinitely - Shoulder.
Syracuse Orange: T. Pena (WR) Out indefinitely - Undisclosed. O. Gadsden II (TE) out for season - Ankle. D. Wohlabaugh Jr. (OL) out for season - Leg. S. Mahar Jr. (TE) out for season - Knee.
Notable Quotes
"A year ago, I took this job with the expectation that it was going to be a ton of work, with the expectation that we can bring a championship here to Tampa at some point. Every single week, I've said that will happen at whatever point we're ready to get to that moment. Tonight, we were ready for this moment.” - Alex Golesh after his team’s win against Charlotte in their last game of the college football regular season.
"It was a really tough week and they did a great job staying together; staying focused on the task at hand. Everybody in a really difficult week managed to stay focused on the task at hand, which was getting Syracuse football to a bowl game in back-to-back years. That's a pretty special accomplishment.” - Nunzio Campanile after his team’s win against WF in their last game of the college football regular season.
Starting Lineups
South Florida Bulls
WR Alexis, Jaden
WR Terry, Yusuf
WR Atkins, Sean
TE Wolff, Weston
QB Brown, Byrum
RB Wright, Nay'Quan
Syracuse Orange
WR Alford, Damien
WR Hatcher, Umari
WR Brown, Donovan
TE Villari, Dan
QB Shrader, Garrett
RB Allen, LeQuint
Statistical Leaders
South Florida Bulls
Passing: B. Brown (3078)
Rushing: N. Wright (775)
Receiving: S. Atkins (961)
Touchdowns: B. Brown (11)
Syracuse Orange
Passing: G. Shrader (1686)
Rushing: L. Allen (1061)
Receiving: D. Alford (527)
Touchdowns: L. Allen (10)
Coaches:
South Florida Bulls: Alex Golesh (1st season)
Syracuse Orange: Nunzio Campanile (Interim)
Rod Pearson
About the Author:
Rod Pearson has been a rabid sports fan his entire life. He grew up in Ontario, and was skilled in both hockey and baseball, and pitched in an elite baseball league for many years. In 2022, Rod decided to hang up his glove, so that he could write about the sports he loves -- but from a gambling perspective. Join Rod every day as he breaks down the games to find the best betting value.
