Boca Raton Bowl: USF vs Syracuse Odds, and Picks (Dec 21)

• USF took down Charlotte in their finale, 48-14, earning a spot in this bowl.
• Syracuse went 2-6 in their last 8 games, but still managed to finish at 6-6.
• These two teams last met on September 17, 2016, in a game USF won 45-20.

The college football season has reached the bowl games! Let’s preview the upcoming 2023 Boca Raton Bowl between the USF Bulls and Syracuse Orange. Both teams are looking to end the season with a win.

How to Watch

• ESPN

Preview

USF got the sixth win they needed for bowl eligibility in their season finale, after defeating Charlotte. This will be the Bulls first bowl game appearance since 2018, when Charlie Strong was still the coach. After little success in the three seasons under Jeff Scott, USF took a big step forward in their first year with Alex Golesh as coach. They’ll aim to ride their new coach and capable offense to their first bowl win since 2017.

Syracuse barely managed to claim a spot in a bowl game with their 35-31 win over Wake Forest. After starting the season 4-0, the Orange dropped five games in a row, falling to 4-5. They managed to go 2-1 after that and reach bowl eligibility, but they lack momentum entering this game. Their offense has heated back up since going ice-cold during their losing skid, but Syracuse still needs the defense to bounce back.

Prediction

In bowl matchups like these between a Power-5 team and Group of 5 team, the Power-5 team is usually favored. That being said, Syracuse went just 2-6 against the ACC, with the two wins coming against the two worst teams in the conference, at home. USF may not have fared much better, but their offense is more explosive, and they at least enter this game with some momentum. I’m taking the Bulls to win here.

NCAAF Picks:

• USF 29, Syracuse 24 ()