Syracuse vs. Liberty fearless prediction and game preview.
Syracuse vs. Liberty Broadcast
Date: Saturday, August 31
Game Time: 6:00 ET
Venue: Williams Stadium, Lynchburg, VA
Network: ESPN+
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Syracuse (0-0) vs. Liberty (0-0) Game Preview
It’s one of the more interesting and odd games of the first week of the season.
Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze is trying to get back after a frightening staph infection after undergoing back surgery. He was able to survive, and all appears to be fine now, but it’s a strange week of work for the Flame coaching staff and program.
It’s odd because Syracuse has to go on the road for this. The only ranked ACC team outside of Clemson has to follow this up at Maryland before dealing with the Tigers, but this is a dangerous game against a veteran team.
Liberty follows this up with a trip to Louisiana, but this begins a run of four home games in the first five dates.
Why Syracuse Will Win
Here comes the heat.
The Liberty offensive line is coming off a fantastic season – more on that in a moment – but the tackle situation will be a bit of a concern early on. That’s a problem against one of the nation’s elite defensive end groups – Alton Robinson and Kendall Coleman are devastating.
The Orange offense has the firepower to hit Liberty’s good secondary hard. The Flames will pick off passes, but they’ll give up big plays to one of the ACC’s best receiving corps. The spotlight might be on QB Tommy DeVito has he takes over the starting job, but he’ll have a whole lot of help.
Why Liberty Will Win
The Flame offense – even with Freeze not at 100% in how the coaching preparation has gone – should be stellar.
The skill parts are tremendous with a potentially high-octane passing game that should be able to hit the Syracuse secondary hard. Antonio Gandy-Golden is an elite target, Stephen Calvert is a veteran passer with a nice arm, and the offensive line – most importantly – was among the best in the nation at keeping defenses out of the backfield.
There’s enough balance – running back might be the team’s biggest strength – to keep the Orange on their heels. This team is more than ready and good enough to handle a shootout if needed.
What’s Going To Happen
This is going to be a whole lot scarier than Syracuse and the ACC might like.
The Flames will be plucky at home. They have the experience, the talent, and the emotion from the Freeze situation to come up with a big overall performance. They’ll force just enough takeaways to keep this close, but the Orange’s ACC talent will shine through in the second half. Syracuse will win, but it won’t coast.
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Syracuse vs. Liberty Prediction, Line
Syracuse 44, Liberty 24
Line: Syracuse -17.5, o/u: 66.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5
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Must See Rating: 2
5: Once Upon a Time In Hollywood
1: Christina on the Coast
NEXT: Each Team’s Schedule, Predictions So Far
Each Team’s Schedule, Predictions So Far
2019 Syracuse Football Schedule
2019 Preseason Prediction: 7-5
2019 Preseason ACC Prediction: 4-4
2018 Record: 10-3
– 2019 Syracuse Preview
Aug. 31 at Liberty W
Sept. 7 at Maryland L
Sept. 14 Clemson L
Sept. 21 Western Michigan W
Sept. 28 Holy Cross W
Oct. 5 OPEN DATE
Oct. 10 at NC State L
Oct. 19 Pitt W
Oct. 26 at Florida State L
Nov. 2 Boston College W
Nov. 9 OPEN DATE
Nov. 16 at Duke W
Nov. 23 at Louisville L
Nov. 30 Wake Forest W
2019 Liberty Football Schedule
2019 Preseason Prediction: 6-6
2018 Record: 6-6
– 2019 Liberty Preview
Aug. 31 Syracuse L
Sept. 7 at Louisiana L
Sept. 14 Buffalo W
Sept. 21 Hampton W
Sept. 28 New Mexico L
Oct. 5 at New Mexico State W
Oct. 12 OPEN DATE
Oct. 19 Maine W
Oct. 26 at Rutgers L
Nov. 2 at UMass W
Nov. 9 at BYU L
Nov. 16 OPEN DATE
Nov. 23 at Virginia L
Nov. 30 New Mexico State W
