Pittsburgh vs. Syracuse College Football Week 8 Preview, TV Schedule, Prediction

TV Schedule: Saturday, October 24, 12:00 p.m. ET on ESPNU

Location: Carrier Dome, Syracuse, NY

Line: Pittsburgh (-7)

The 5-1 Pittsburgh Panthers will head on the road to take on the 3-3 Syracuse Orange this Saturday afternoon from the Carrier Dome. Pat Narduzzi‘s team has been one of the surprise teams in the ACC this season, especially after losing Heisman Trophy candidate John Conner following the season-opening win over Youngstown State. The Panthers have resorted to relying on their defense, as the unit ranks 17th in the nation in total defense.

If the Panthers are serious about competing in the ACC Coastal Division, quarterback Nate Peterman is going to have to find a way to get the ball down the field to Tyler Boyd. Boyd is one of the best receivers in the country, but he’s only averaging 9.7 yards per catch on his 41 receptions. When defenses stack the box to slow down Qadree Ollison, Peterman is going to have to make them pay to Boyd, as otherwise the good defenses will eat the Panthers’ offense alive.

The Orange are coming off of a crushing triple-overtime defeat at the hands of the Virginia Cavaliers. Syracuse continues to make strides under Scott Shafer, but following a 3-9 season in 2014, it’s likely that new athletic director Mark Coyle will want to see a bowl appearance in the near future, or he could be looking to bring in his own head coach.

The struggle for years has been the inconsistency of the offense. Quarterback Eric Dungey has a nice 9-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, but the majority of the Orange’s passing offense is underneath. There’s no threat to throw the ball or take the top off of the defense, which allows defenses to clog the box with their safeties and shut down the running game. Until Syracuse finds an offensive coordinator willing to take shots down the field, it’s going to be hard for the team to compete in the ACC.

This game should be a defensive slugfest as neither team does anything offensively that’s going to scare the opposing defense. With it being a bit of a rivalry game, and the Orange playing at home, I’ll take Syracuse to pull out the low-scoring victory.

Prediction: Syracuse 20, Pittsburgh 17

Jason Fletcher is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonFletcher25, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.