Let's Stay Hot... I Have A Play I Really Like Today
Off another nice winner last night with Florida State TT OVER 29.5. That brings me to 5-1 on these blog selections if your playing along at home. Let's attack a really great spot here today EARLY.
This game goes off an noon and currently at Barstool Sportsbook, Syracuse is -1 (-115) and the total is 60 here against Purdue.
One of the things not talked about much so far this year is how good the Syracuse Orange look. They have started the season 2-0 with a blowout win against Louisville and a destruction of UCONN last week 48-14. I have always liked watching this group on defense. They are tenacious and always produce a fantastic secondary. That's no different this year. You always know your going to get a team that creates turnovers and gets off the field on third down.
The big story this year though with Syracuse is how good this offense has looked. QB Garrett Shrader per PFF is currently graded as the best QB in the country. Now obviously, he isn't but he's playing damn well. His completion percentage is much better, his yards per play are higher and he's not turning the ball over. He's more than just a runner this year which bodes really well and is paying dividends already. RB Sean Tucker is one of the better backs in the country you don't know about. The kid has ran for 98 and 112 so far and is showing out as a workhorse back. He should be able to have some space against a Purdue defense that isn't great upfront. They also recently lost one of their best players on defense in LB Jalen Graham to an injury.
Purdue is a pass happy offense that will run into a problem here against a 3-3-5 alignment. There is only one team in America that throws it more than Purdue. The Boilermakers have a passing play percentage at 73 percent. This Cuse secondary as I said is TOUGH. This group ranked 26th in America against the pass last year and made life difficult on Louisville in game one. They also possess a really good linebacker group that is good at shutting down the run. This is a really good game matchup wise to me for Syracuse. They lean on Tucker and Shrader on offense and a great secondary against a group on the road, that can be very one dimensional.
Also… Cuse opened as a dog and they are now a favorite. Market moving the right way. I'm backing Syracuse ML (-120) and shooting for a 31-24 type of game. I like this Orange team. Seems like Dino Babers is settling in nicely.
For more college football thoughts today, check out my Barstool Sportsbook Youtube show, which is live on Thursdays at 4pm EST