The Mami Hurricanes (10-1, 6-1 ACC) travel to Syracuse (8-3, 4-3 ACC) to face the Orange and are eleven-point road favorites.
This game has all the makings of a shootout. Miami has the top-scoring offense in the country (44.7), and Syracuse scores 31.7 per game, good for seventh in the ACC.
The matchup also features the top two passers in the country, Cam Ward and Kyle McCord, but Miami should have the advantage in the running game. Miami boasts the fifth-best rushing attack, averaging 181.3 yards per game, while Syracuse allows an average of 153.6 yards per contest (15th in the ACC).
Miami leads the nation in yards per game (541.5), yards per play, and third-down conversions. Syracuse allows over 150 yards on the ground and through the air. It is also 100th in yards allowed per play and 88th in points allowed per game. It has allowed 35 points or more in four of its last seven games.
However, Miami also allowed 28 points in five of seven conference games. One area of concern has been tackling, as the Hurricanes rank 87th in PFF's Tackling grades. A few missed tackles have turned into big plays as the Hurricanes also rank 124th in Rushing Explosiveness Allowed.
Miami should move the ball well but as we've seen in recent games much of the damage comes in the second half. Miami leads the country in second-half scoring,
I'm not expecting a rawkus crowd, as many students are not in town, as it's a holiday week. I expect Miami to take care of business on the road in a barn-burner.
Official Prediction: Miami wins 45-38
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