The Colgate Raiders take on the Syracuse Orange in Syracuse, New York, on Friday, September 12. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
Syracuse is a massive 37.5-point favorite in the contest with a total set at 66.5.
This once-spirited rivalry dates back to 1891 and will take place once again in college football Week 3.
Here’s my Colgate vs. Syracuse prediction and college football picks for Friday, September 12.
Colgate vs Syracuse Prediction
- Colgate vs. Syracuse Pick: Over 66.5
My Syracuse vs. Colgate best bet is on both teams to go over the total. Find the best line available on our live NCAAF odds page.
Colgate vs Syracuse Odds
| Colgate Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+37.5 -110 | 66.5 -110o / -110u | N/A |
| Syracuse Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
37.5 -110 | 66.5 -110o / -110u | N/A |
- Colgate vs Syracuse Spread: Syracuse -37.5, Colgate +37.5
- Colgate vs Syracuse Over/Under: 66.5 Points
Colgate vs Syracuse College Football Betting Preview
Colgate Raiders Betting Preview: Good Offense, Bad Defense
Colgate comes in having played very impressive FCS football the last couple of weeks despite being winless on the season.
The Raiders had a 31-7 lead on Monmouth in the opener before falling apart in the fourth quarter, and were tied with Villanova deep into the second half of that game.
The development of the passing attack has been critical for Colgate to stay in games, as quarterbacks Zach Osborne and Jake Stearney have combined to throw for 604 yards and five touchdowns thus far.
Overall, Colgate has averaged 445 yards per game offensively with a balanced run-pass attack.
Defensively, Colgate has been a mess. The Raiders allowed 42 points to Monmouth, but the defensive performance was much worse than that.
Monmouth racked up 678 total yards and 491 passing yards in the opening game and had three interceptions in the red zone. Colgate could have given up 70 points there.
Last week, Villanova scored 24 points, but it plays a slower pace with a ball-control style of football seeking to limit possessions while working methodically on offense.
Colgate still gave up 416 yards on just 63 plays, and it's difficult to see this team securing stops against the Orange.
Syracuse Orange Betting Preview: Sprinting to Week 3
Syracuse avoided a disastrous narrative to start its season with a gritty come-from-behind victory over UConn last week.
Two touchdowns in the final three minutes helped Syracuse take its first lead of regulation. The game would go to overtime, where the Orange scored a touchdown on their first possession, and the Huskies could not answer.
Cuse head coach Fran Brown was so disgusted with the performance that after the win, with fans still in the seats, he had his team line up on the goal line and run gassers in full pads.
I would expect a sharp week of practice from the Orange this week and a full-throttle effort here in this one.
Colgate vs Syracuse Pick, Betting Analysis
I'm going to take the over in this one. We hit this one on the opener at 60.5, but I still think we have some meat on the bone at 66.5.
Syracuse defeated Colgate, 65-0, in their most recent matchup in 2023. While I won’t call for a score that lopsided, we should see Syracuse pass the ball up and down the field against a porous Colgate secondary that has shown no propensity to defend the pass this season.
Cuse quarterback Steve Angeli has completed 60% of his passes, but the offense really hasn’t been cranking, and the offensive line has surrendered eight sacks through two weeks.
I expect Syracuse to use this game as an opportunity to give Angeli some confidence and get the offensive line figured out from a pass-blocking perspective.
We should see well over 400 yards from Angeli through the air, and five or more touchdown passes is well within reason. Expect the Orange to put up a massive point total here.
On the other side, Osborne and Stearney were both on the Colgate team that was embarrassed by Syracuse in 2023 and will certainly want to show out in this game to avoid that same level of embarrassment. This is a much-improved Colgate offense — and one I believe can score 14-21 points on the Cuse defense.
The defense is so concerning here for Colgate that I can't see this group keeping the score close. I expect Syracuse to work the passing attack with the second-team offense deep into the second half here.
Watch for Syracuse to rack up over 600 yards of total offense as we see fireworks in the dome on Friday night.
Pick: Over 66.5
