Pinstripe Bowl Odds and Picks – Syracuse vs Minnesota Prediction

• Syracuse goes up against Minnesota this Thursday afternoon in the Pinstripe Bowl on December 29th
• The Golden Gophers are currently 10-point betting favorites against the Orange in the CFB odds
• Read below for Syracuse vs Minnesota odds, spread and prediction for this bowl matchup

The Pinstripe Bowl features Syracuse and Minnesota on December 29. Kickoff is set for just after 2:00 PM ET at Yankee Stadium (Bronx, New York), and the game will be live on ESPN. Now, both teams are trying to end their season on a solid note.

Minnesota is currently a 10-point betting favorite and the total is set at 42 for this contest. The Golden Gophers have become bigger favorites.

Let’s look at the Syracuse vs Minnesota odds and offer you our best bets and predictions.

Syracuse vs Minnesota Odds

Odds as of December 27th at BetMGM Sportsbook. Get the BetMGM promo code for Syracuse vs Minnesota. 

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Minnesota is -400 on the moneyline in the college football odds, giving them 80% implied probability to win.

Syracuse Has No Easy Task

Unfortunately, Head Coach Dino Babers performed well out of conference, but managed only a 4-4 record in the AAC. That was en route to a 7-5 regular season. Now, Syracuse yielded a mere 22.7 points per game, but they allowed 27 or more points to four of their last opponents. A 6-0 start went away quickly as the Orange stayed above .500 after holding off Boston College to end the season.

Yes, they ranked 67th out of 131 Division I teams defensively in terms of offense. However, that ranking was more in the bottom third over the second half.

UPDATE for the Orange: Jeremiah Wilson withdrew his name from the Transfer Portal today & will return to the Syracuse Orange Football program.#Syracuse #Cuse #OrangeNation #collegefootball #transferportal

— DT Sports Media (@CallDT) December 14, 2022

Now, that is a bit of good news for the Orange. Unfortunately, both the offensive and defensive coordinators left. Sean Taylor, their star running back, is not playing in this bowl game. Finally, the offense will not change much for 2023. However, that is for 2023 and not for the present.

The key for Syracuse lies in keeping the game close. Syracuse cannot allow Minnesota to keep pounding the ball. That will help the Golden Gophers set up a passing game that was starting to improve again as the season came to a close.

If Syracuse minimizes the amount of losses and plays more like they did over the first half, this becomes a closer game than expected.  However, this means playing a bit more conservative than the Orange may be used to. The loss of Taylor is a bigger blow than either coordinator.

Minnesota Arguably A Top 25 Team

Head coach P.J. Fleck lost a few defensive players to the portal, injury, and the draft. However, Minnesota’s defense as a unit gave up a mere 13.3 points per game. That ranked third in the entire nation. It helped that the Golden Gophers avoided playing both Michigan and Ohio State. Their middle portion of the schedule hurt as Minnesota lost three straight games before rallying to win four out of five contests to end the regular season.

Yes, the Golden Gophers lost to Iowa in this stretch, but then may have found their future starting quarterback in the process.

#Gophers offseason WR additions

– Elijah Spencer (Charlotte)
– Corey Crooms (WMU)
– T.J. McWilliams
– Kenric Lanier
– Nuke Hayes

A clear message of Minnesota’s plan to build around Athan Kaliakmanis and the pass attack. pic.twitter.com/rVSg9T0WmP

— Tony Liebert (@TonyLiebert) December 19, 2022

This game asks the following question. Can Syracuse stop what is starting to become a more balanced attack for Minnesota? Everyone knows what Mohamed Ibrahim can do. All the running back managed was 1594 yards on 302 carries and 19 touchdowns. It is more intriguing to see how this offense looks with “The Greek Rifle” throwing the ball more down the field.

Guess what the weather forecast holds for Thursday? It figures to be nicer with temperatures moderating to almost 50 degrees.

Minnesota’s preseason NCAAF win total of 7.5 victories was accurate as they squeaked by on the over winning eight times. Now, they stand a strong chance of achieving a nine-win campaign.

Syracuse vs Minnesota Prediction

Most pundits have Minnesota winning and covering too. Can Syracuse keep this game from being more of a rout? While some formulas suggest otherwise, the betting public has 87% of the money riding on a Golden Gopher moneyline and cover sweep.

Given that Syracuse struggled over the second half after their loss to Clemson, there are some credence to the numbers. Even the over has seen an uptick to 61%.

Finally, Minnesota laying ten points looks like a hill way too high to climb, but this might be a coming-out party for the Gophers’ offense. Either way, this game figures not to be dull.

Picks:  Minnesota -10 (-110), Over 42 (-110)