Syracuse Orange vs Washington State Cougars Prediction, Odds and Picks for Friday, 12/27/24

One of the better plays on Friday should be the Holiday Bowl in San Diego. My Syracuse Orange vs Washington State Cougars prediction is Syracuse -16, in a game that I expect to be totally lopsided. Syracuse is underrated in the first place, and they were a dangerous team in the ACC this season. They had some weird moments—like the time they threw more touchdown passes to Pitt than to their own team—but this team could score with anybody. Kyle McCord led the nation in passing with over 4300 yards, or 360 yards per game. I would be backing the Orange in this game regardless, but Washington State is decimated to the point that I am surprised they didn’t withdraw from the game. Give me Syracuse in this one.

So what’s up with Wazzou? Their head coach left for Wake Forest, and the OC left for Oklahoma. They will also be without their DC, their QB coach, or their RB coach. And you can just imagine how many of their players jumped in the portal as well. They have 10 starters who will be out for the bowl game, and that includes their starting QB (among many, many others), who will join his OC at OU. In short, the Cougars are decimated, while the Orange come in at what might as well be full strength. This game shouldn’t be a contest at all. My pick in this game is for Syracuse to roll, and I would take it at practically any number.

Syracuse vs Washington State Prediction: Syracuse -16 (-110) available at the time of publishing. Playable to -20.5.