Hey, what’s up, everybody? It’s your boy, checking in for Tony’s Picks with a college football free pick for Saturday, November 16th. We’ve got California versus Syracuse.
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California Relies on Turnovers to Stay Competitive
All right, man, we’ve got California coming in at 5-4, and to me, the main reason they have this winning record is their turnover margin. They’ve got a plus-16 turnover margin, getting a lot of turnovers against certain teams. But I think Syracuse will come in here and be able to protect the ball.
What I like about Syracuse is that while their run defense has been gashed, they don’t have to worry too much about that because California is only averaging about 114 yards on the ground. When it comes to passing, Syracuse’s secondary is only giving up 147 yards in the air. Now, I know some people think the reason their secondary looks so good is because teams can run on them, but like I said, California, in eight of their last nine games, has only averaged about 118 yards on the ground.
Syracuse Offense Poised to Keep It Close
I think Syracuse has the offense to keep this game close with the 8.5-point spread. I always say that to cover the spread, a team needs a solid passing game, and Syracuse definitely has that. Their quarterback, Cal McCord, has averaged over 300 yards in every game this year except one. They’re averaging 280 yards in the air, so I think they’ll be able to keep this game close.
We’ve already seen Syracuse as an underdog beat Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. Earlier in the season, they went to Vegas and beat a tough UNLV team. Syracuse is primed to keep this game close, and they might even pull off the upset as long as they don’t turn the ball over.
Final Pick: Take Syracuse +8.5
I remember when they played Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh put up 41 points, but McCord threw five interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns. On overall offense, Syracuse only gave up 216 yards against Pittsburgh. I think Pittsburgh is comparable to California, so this spread is just too many points for California to cover.
I’m taking the 8.5 points with Syracuse. Their offense is averaging 31 points and 420 yards of total offense, so I like them to keep this game close. Give me the 8.5 points with Syracuse for the free pick for Saturday, November 16th.
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