So far, the entire staff is a perfect 2-0, but that’s about to change in week three. The Fizz crew is split right down the middle for tomorrow’s matchup inside the Dome.
Tyler Aki (2-0): Syracuse 41, Florida State 23
Don’t look at this as me picking Syracuse. It’s more me betting against Florida State. The Seminoles have looked ATROCIOUS through two weeks. And those games were at home. In fact, the Noles performance against Virginia Tech is arguably the most embarrassing output of the year by anyone in college football. If Orange Nation shows out in the Dome, Syracuse will be at a major advantage. The FSU defense looked super vulnerable against Samford, so what will it look like against a high-tempo offense like the Orange’s? Eric Dungey and company will get out to an early lead and never look back.
JD Raucci (2-0): Florida State 34, Syracuse 27
For the second year in a row, Syracuse is going into a matchup against a very questionable Florida State team and for the second year in a row, this feels like a game that they’ll come up just short in. The offensive firepower has been there for the Orange in the first two games, scoring a combined 117 points against Western Michigan and Wagner, but I wouldn’t expect the fireworks to be quite as bright against FSU. The Noles defense is littered with four- and five-star recruits and should slow the Orange down at least slightly. On the other side of the ball, we’ve already seen the Orange secondary be exposed against Western Michigan this season. Yes, the FSU attack has struggled at times this season ¬†but that was in the pouring rain last week and against one of the top defenses in the ACC (Virginia Tech) in week one. They’ve still got some incredible weapons (Deondre Francois and Cam Akers) on that side of the ball. This game should be close like it was last year and the offense will impress at times, but eventually the weapons that FSU has simply outmatch SU’s and that talent advantage will get the Noles over the hump.
Tim Leonard (2-0): Florida State 31, Syracuse 20
On paper, the first two Florida State games proved they’re very beatable and clearly not clicking right now. However, they also act as motivation for FSU going into this matchup against Syracuse. The Seminoles are going to play hard, hungry and focused football Saturday‚Äîbecause, frankly, despite it being only week three, their backs are against the wall. New head coach Wille Taggart is going to prep for this game like crazy. Plus, it‚Äôs hard to ignore the talent disparity, SU‚Äôs abysmal all-time record against FSU and the Orange‚Äôs shaky defense so far. Let‚Äôs not forget, this game isn‚Äôt bowl game or bust, the Orange are supposed to lose.
Jonathon Hoppe (2-0): Syracuse 42, Florida State 38
Two weeks ago, a win against Florida State seemed like a long shot. However, the ‘Noles recent struggles have turned this into a favorable match up for SU. In two home games, FSU has looked abysmal at times. Fortunately for Syracuse, the loud house isn’t exactly the place you want to go to fix those problems. Given Syracuse’s improved play at the line of scrimmage, as well as a healthy Eric Dungey, the Orange gets a big ACC win to open up its conference season. Willie Taggart starts 1-2? Yikes.
