The Fizz went an undefeated 4-0 in its 2018 picks debut against Western Michigan. This week, to the surprise of no one, another consensus pick is upon us.
Tyler Aki (1-0): Syracuse 57, Wagner 17
It’s no secret that Syracuse is going to come out victorious. The only question is, by how much? The Orange will be dominant from the first whistle, but how dominant? All of this hinges on the second stringers. Syracuse has a lot of unproven parts sitting behind the starters. Tommy DeVito will be sharper after a week of practice and a game against an FBS opponent under his belt. It will be interesting to see some of the guys that end up taking the field. I would expect to see some of the speedy and talented freshmen get their first ever action thanks to the NCAA’s new redshirt rule that allows players to appear in up to four games in a season and maintain redshirt eligibility. If Taj Harris, Anthony Queeley and Ed Hendrix see the field and show they are the real deal, then the Orange will score closer to 60 than 50.
JD Raucci (1-0): Syracuse 54, Wagner 10
Well, the last time these teams played in the Carrier Dome in 2013, SU beat up on the Seahawks to the tune of a 54-0 win. This time around I’ll take the same offensive production from Syracuse with a couple of points on the board for Wagner because of Ryan Fulse who is probably the best running back in the FCS and put up 271 yards and 3 TDs last week. I think that kind of player is worth about 10 points in a game like this. As for the rest of the game, it comes down to the simple fact that Syracuse is just a better football team than Wagner. Eric Dungey is going to put on another masterclass like he did on Friday against Western Michigan and we’ll likely get to see some more of Tommy DeVito because I don’t see this game being close enough in the end to necessitate keeping Dungey in it. The biggest thing to look for this week is how the defense responds to a pretty poor showing in last week’s game They’re going up against a much less intimidating opponent this time around and should bounce back with a good performance.
Tim Leonard (1-0): Syracuse 51, Wagner 10
This is not going to be much of a football game. Honestly, considering Wagner allowed Division II Bowie State to throw for 365 yards last week, Eric Dungey and the Orange may actually score a touchdown every time the starters are out there Saturday. Now in the second half–when the starters exit–that‚Äôs when this game becomes interesting. Let‚Äôs see what Tommy Devito can do and maybe, just maybe, SU can get some other pass-catchers not named Jamal Custis involved. When it‚Äôs all said and done, Syracuse will have one of the highest scoring offenses in the country after two weeks.
Jonathon Hoppe (1-0): Syracuse 51, Wagner 13
This year, SU’s cupcake game of the season comes one week later than usual. Expect Syracuse to blow the doors off of Wagner, an FCS team that simply can’t match up with a team like Syracuse. Given the projected score in this game, I’m excited to see Tommy DeVito get another chance under center. The redshirt freshman didn’t look great in his SU debut, but he didn’t get much help from his teammates. If given a clean pocket, expect DeVito to shine in garbage time this week. This is a great chance for Syracuse to iron out its mistakes from week one in Kalamazoo. 
