Clemson vs. Syracuse odds, spread, lines: Week 8 college football picks, predictions by computer model
A pair of undefeated ACC foes square off in a battle for first place in this division as Clemson and Syracuse meet in college football's Week 8 action on Saturday.
Syracuse is one of the pleasant surprises of the college football season after coming in with head coach Dino Babers on the proverbial hot seat, but riding a hot 6-0 start and coming off a win over then-No. 15 NC State.
Clemson is taking important steps towards improving its offensive output and already owns two wins over ranked ACC teams as it seeks to build a resume worthy of College Football Playoff contention once again.
What do the experts think of the matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.
Clemson vs. Syracuse picks, predictions
Week 8 college football picks: Clemson vs. Syracuse
Despite both teams being ranked and undefeated, the computers are clearly taking a side, as Clemson has the overwhelming 83.0 percent chance to defeat Syracuse on Saturday.
That leaves the Orange a 17.0 percent shot to hand the Tigers their first loss of the season.
The oddsmakers favor the home team, as Clemson comes in the 13 point favorites to beat Syracuse, according to the lines at SI Sportsbook, which set the over/under mark at 51 points for the matchup.
Clemson checks in at No. 7 on the index's 131 college football rankings, projected to win 11.9 games this season and a 52.4 percent shot to get back to the College Football Playoff as presumptive ACC champions.
FPI estimates Clemson is 19.3 points better than the average team on a neutral field, compared to Syracuse's 9.5 point projection, which puts the Orange at No. 24 nationally on the computer's rankings.
Syracuse is expected to win 9.1 games this season by the index, which projects it has a 5.1 percent chance to win the ACC championship.
College Football Power Index
Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.
Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season, using a combination of analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, and a team’s schedule.
College football rankings
According to AP top 25 poll
- Georgia
- Ohio State
- Tennessee
- Michigan
- Clemson
- Alabama
- Ole Miss
- TCU
- UCLA
- Oregon
- Oklahoma State
- USC
- Wake Forest
- Syracuse
- Utah
- Penn State
- Kansas State
- Illinois
- Kentucky
- Texas
- Cincinnati
- North Carolina
- NC State
- Mississippi State
- Tulane