The Week 3 of the NCAAF season continues on Saturday, September 17, with this inter-conference tilt, and here you can read the best Boilermakers vs. Orange betting pick and odds.

Purdue and Syracuse will play their third game of the NCAAF campaign when they face at JMA Wireless Dome. The Boilermakers are slight -1 favorites on BookMaker Sportsbook, while the total is set at 58.5 points. These inter-conference rivals have never met before.

Boilermakers destroyed the Sycamores at home

The Purdue Boilermakers bounced back from the loss in the season opener to the Penn State Nittany Lions with a massive 56-0 victory over the Indiana State Sycamores at home. Purdue covered a 37-point spread with a dominant performance; they totaled 521 yards opposite Indiana State’s 145 and had 28 first downs, while the Sycamores had seven.

Aidan O’Connell registered four passing touchdowns on 17/19 completions. Three of those passes went to Charlie Jones, who ended the game with nine receptions for 133 yards. The Boilermakers added three rushing touchdowns and recorded 232 rushing yards. The defense had four sacks and two interceptions.

The O’Connell and Jones combo will represent the biggest threat to Syracuse’s defense on Saturday. Jones currently has 286 yards with four touchdowns on 21 receptions. Four of O’Connell’s five passing TDs went to Jones.

Orange improved to 2-0 without problems

The Syracuse Orange opened the campaign with two wins and covered the spread in each. They first beat the Louisville Cardinals at home and then the UConn Huskies on the road. The Orange already had a 20-point lead at halftime and in the end, totaled more than twice the yards compared to the Huskies (470-202) in a 48-14 victory.

Garrett Shrader completed 20 of 23 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns. Syracuse was also terrific on the ground with 156 yards and three touchdowns. Shrader scored two of them, while Sean Tucker added one more in a 100+ rushing yard display.

Just like Purdue has two players who can rip opposing defenses apart, the Orange have Shrader and Tucker. Both are two-way players; Shrader is a passer and runner, while Tucker is both the team leading rusher and receiver.

Trends:

Purdue:

  • 1-6 SU in the last seven games played in Week 3

Syracuse:

  • 4-1 ATS in the last five games overall
  • 4-1 ATS in the last five non-conference games
  • 5-0 ATS in the last five games after accumulating more than 450 total yards in their previous game

Purdue Boilermakers vs. Syracuse Orange Pick  

Purdue is a top 40 team when it comes to points per game with 43.5, while they are 18th in passing yards with 327.0 on average. While they can clearly outscore any opponent, the Orange’s defense has the quality to make key stops, which is my I am backing the hosts to get an edge in this one. Syracuse is also a good offensive team around the top 50 in both passing and rushing. The Orange utilize both offenses sparingly, and I think the Boilermakers will not have the right answer for it on defense. Shrader and Tucker will get an opportunity to shine here and I am backing them to take it.

Pick: Take the Orange at +1 (-110)

The Total

I like an old-fashioned offensive football, even though we know that defense wins championships. Both teams average 450+ total yards per game, which is astonishing, and although Syracuse’s defense is better, I think we will have a classic shootout and a high-scoring tilt. O’Connell-Jones vs. Shrader-Tucker will be a joy to watch, so bet on Over and enjoy. Over is 4-0 in the Boilermakers’ last four games overall, while Over is 5-0 in Purdue’s previous five games following an ATS win.

Pick: Go Over 58.5 points (-110)