DraftKings released its regular season win totals for every FBS team, unsurprisingly Alabama and Clemson are at the top of the list. They both are projected to have a 11.5 total, and if you like the Tide and Tigers to run the table undefeated, the over is at even money. The under is -125. Oklahoma and Ohio State clock in at 11 wins.
So how does DraftKings view Syracuse?
You may want to look away, unless you’re feeling frisky about the Orange and want to plunk some cash on the over.
DraftKings projects SU at 3 wins, the lowest in the ACC and one of the lowest in the Power 5. Here are the other P5 schools in SU’s 3-win range:
Illinois, Duke (3.5)
Vanderbilt (3)
Arizona (2.5)
Kansas (1)
So how solid does DraftKings’s projection look? Let’s give SU the UAlbany win, and a victory to open the season at Ohio. While nothing is guaranteed, the Bobcats were a .500 team in the MAC two seasons ago and played only three games last year. If the Orange can’t beat an FCS team at the Dome and a middle of the road MAC squad, Dino Babers might not make it to October.
That brings us to the Rutgers game, where the Scarlet Knights are projected at 4 wins by DraftKings. If SU can beat RU at the Dome, then they’ve already hit the (cough) magic number of 3 in their first three games.
Liberty is projected at 9 wins, so let’s give the Flames the victory. The worst teams on the SU schedule in the ACC are Florida State (road) and NC State (road), which is where this gets tricky. There’s really no matchups to have much confidence in. The Orange won’t face the other worst teams in the conference this year, Duke and Georgia Tech.
SU needs to beat Albany and Ohio, then find two wins out of the home games of Rutgers, Wake, BC and Pitt. Or pull the shocker against Clemson again. Or pull off an upset at FSU or NC State. There’s a path to four wins (they’re better be), it just takes getting a little creative.
