Media Prediction Thread: Pinstripe Bowl - Minnesota vs Syracuse

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ESPN is first out of the gate:

Dec. 29

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Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl: Syracuse Orange vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Yankee Stadium (New York)

If Minnesota's Mohamed Ibrahim and Syracuse's Sean Tucker both play, arguably no bowl game will feature a better matchup of running backs. Ibrahim eclipsed 100 rushing yards in each of his first 11 games this season, while Tucker recorded his second straight 1,000-yard rushing season. Minnesota has the edge on defense, though, and the Gophers finished the season strong with wins in four of their final five games. Ibrahim, standout safety Tyler Nubin and the Gophers record their fifth straight bowl win.

Prediction: Minnesota 26, Syracuse 17


Go Gophers!!
 



USA Today chimes in:

Minnesota vs. Syracuse prediction

Minnesota enters having won five consecutive postseason contests, including all three under Fleck. The focused preparation should pay off in a defense-dominated tug of war with the Orange. The Gophers have yielded an average of 13.2 points during their bowl-game winning streak. Prediction: Minnesota, 23-18.


Go Gophers!!
 

SI's Pat Forde's Dash Preview:

Chaos Meter: Fairly high, thanks mostly to the coaching staffs. Both Syracuse coordinators have left—OC Robert Anae to North Carolina State and DC Tony White to Nebraska. At Minnesota, assistant head coach Kenni Burns is the new head coach at Kent State. Both teams also have some contributors in the portal.

Better Helmet: In a clash of big, unsubtle letters, give the edge to Syracuse and its “S” over Minnesota’s “M” based on superior color scheme. (Note: in a Twitter conversation with Forde, he told me that going with the Goldy face would be a game changer)

Historic Note: Bad Boy Mowers is the new title sponsor of the game, and there is nothing quite so necessary to life in The Bronx as a massive riding mower to tackle those vast lawns and green spaces. Also: The only two Pinstripe Bowl participants whose campuses were 1,200-plus miles from Yankee Stadium (Kansas State and Miami) both lost. Minnesota is exactly 1,200 miles away.

Dash Pick: Minnesota 21, Syracuse 13. The Orange balloon has been leaking helium for the second half of the season, and that was before the coordinators departed. The Gophers are no juggernaut, but they do have the nation’s most tireless running back in Mohamed Ibrahim (27.6 carries per game) and a stout defense. Also, if veteran quarterback Tanner Morgan remains out, there were significant signs of progress from freshman backup Athan Kaliakmanis in the win over Wisconsin to end the regular season. Give him several weeks of bowl practices and he could take another step forward here.
 


USA Today has Minnesota winning 23-18
Minnesota enters having won five consecutive postseason contests, including all three under Fleck. The focused preparation should pay off in a defense-dominated tug of war with the Orange. The Gophers have yielded an average of 13.2 points during their bowl-game winning streak.

FanDuel has Minnesota winning the Pinstripe Bowl 24-17
Syracuse has actually appeared in the Pinstripe Bowl twice (2010, 2012), winning both of those outings. Unfortunately, there's little reason to trust the Orange this time around. While their victory over Boston College did end their losing streak, it's worth noting that the Eagles entered that game with a lowly 3-8 record.

Meanwhile, Minnesota has looked solid lately, averaging a plus-14 scoring margin over the last five games. The Golden Gophers have also held opponents to a 9.0 PPG clip over that span, which spells bad news for an Orange offense that's been held to single-digit totals twice in the last four games.

With Syracuse also losing 13 of its last 16 games against Big Ten opponents, this is clearly Minnesota's bowl to lose.


YardBarker is predicting a Minnesota victory
Syracuse won just once following its 6-0 start, and won't have a bevy of players around for this matchup, due to opt outs and the transfer portal. That obviously bodes well for the Golden Gophers, who are looking for a sixth consecutive bowl victory. It's also the swan song for Minnesota star Mo Ibrahim, the school's all-time leader in rushing yards (4.597) and rushing touchdowns (52). In his two previous bowl appearances, Ibrahim totaled 364 yards on the ground, averaged 7.1 per carry and scored three touchdowns.

The Game Haus has Minnesota prevailing 21-13
Minnesota’s defense will be tough, especially with the Orange being without Sean Tucker. Syracuse also has some key players in the transfer portal, making the game a little easier for the Golden Gophers.

Picks and Parlays has Minnesota winning 31-13
Minnesota has one of the best running backs in the nation in Mohamed Ibrahim, who rushed for 1,594 yards and 19 touchdowns during the regular season. Minnesota has covered the number in each of its last four non-Big Ten games and in each of the last five games played on a neutral field.

Syracuse on the other hand has failed to cover each of its last five overall. Minnesota finished the season 11th in the nation in rushing with an average of 218.4 yards per game and will face a Syracuse defense that gave up 150.1 yards per game on the ground. Final Score Prediction, Minnesota Golden Gopher win and cover ATS.
 

Minnesota -10 now on BetMGM. That’s a lot of points.
 





Minnesota -10 now on BetMGM. That’s a lot of points.
Cuse has lost there 2 best players out of the secondary... Starting tackle and rb... Both coordinators.... Who's NOT playing for MN besides the portal players... And honestly yes Oliver is a veteran I don't think him leaving "hurts" us as much as Dixon... I think MN blows out cuse....
42-12
 

Minnesota vs Syracuse Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl, What’s Going To Happen

Minnesota is way too good on third downs.

It’s second in the country both in third down conversions and third down stops, and it’s also second in the country in fewest penalties. The team doesn’t beat itself with turnovers or with flags.

Syracuse is a penalty machine. No one in college football was hit with more flags per game including 31 over the last three outings. Minnesota was flagged just 44 times all year.

The time off should help the injured Orange a bit, but they’re still banged up on the defensive line. The Gopher offensive front will take over as the game goes on.

Minnesota vs Syracuse Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl, Prediction, Line

CFN Prediction: Minnesota 27, Syracuse 13
Line: Minnesota -10, o/u: 42
ATS Confidence out of 5: 3
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl Must See Rating (out of 5): 3

 


Greder chimes in:

Prediction: The Gophers defense will continue to show up against a less-lethal Syracuse offense, while the U will be able to run the ball and Kaliakmanis’ continued development in the passing game will help them cover the point spread and keep the streaks alive. Gophers, 24-13


Go Gophers!!
 



Not being a gambler, what is the difference between one team at -7.5 and the opponent +7.5?
Not two ways of saying the same thing?

Means that if you bet the Gophers line....they need to win by eight points for you to win your bet. Basically take the spread (the +7.5 or the -7.5) and add (or subtract) that number from the team's final score.
 

Athlon chimes in:

Final Analysis​

Bowl games are always tough to figure — even more so now with opt-outs and the transfer portal. That said, it appears that Syracuse is impacted more by postseason changes. In addition to losing its star running back and offensive coordinator, the Orange also lost defensive coordinator Tony White, who left to take the same role at Nebraska.


P.J. Fleck's team lost some guys to the portal, but all in all, his Gopher roster is about as complete as you want heading into bowl season. Fleck has built a winning program in the Twin Cities, and part of that winning program is preparing for every game at a championship level — even bowl games. The Gophers are 3-0 in bowl games during Fleck's tenure.

Look for Minnesota to lean heavily on Ibrahim offensively and bring a lot of pressure on Shrader on defense en route to a sound, comfortable win in Yankee Stadium.

Prediction: Minnesota 24, Syracuse 13​


Go Gophers!!
 

Not being a gambler, what is the difference between one team at -7.5 and the opponent +7.5?
Not two ways of saying the same thing?
You got it right, it’s two ways of saying the same thing. The favorite is listed as -X pts and the underdog is listed as +X pts. If it is Minnesota -7.5 / Syracuse +7.5, that means Minnesota is a 7.5 pt favorite and a bet on Minnesota will only pay out if they win by 8 or more.
 

Not being a gambler, what is the difference between one team at -7.5 and the opponent +7.5?
Not two ways of saying the same thing?
The spread doesn't change, but which side they list represents which bet they expect to win. Typically if someone is just communicating the spread, they will either always list the home team or always list the favorite, but if someone is making a pick they will state the bet the are suggesting. I. E. Minnesota -7.5 is calling for a Gopher win of at least 8, while Syracuse +7.5 says that the Orange will not lose by 8 or more.
 


It's not a lot of points. They'll cover easily.
agreed. this Syracuse team shapes up like our first four opponents. We should win, and win easily. Like the beginning of this year, it will mean nothing when next year rolls around and we play actual football teams.

The only thing that comes out of this game is which of Coyle's past two football coach hires looks worse tomorrow night. Neither one of them will get to a Conf. Championship or Playoff game unless one of the coaches in those game gives them tickets or they buy them themselves.
 

Not being a gambler, what is the difference between one team at -7.5 and the opponent +7.5?
Not two ways of saying the same thing?

I'm not a gambler either, but I believe the answer to your question is, yes; it is in fact two ways of saying the same thing.

In your example (-7.5/+7.5), if you bet on the favorite, you're giving 7.5 points (so you're -7.5 points).

If you bet the underdog, you're receiving 7.5 points (so you're plus 7.5 points).
 

By Randy Johnson Star Tribune
December 28, 2022 — 6:12pm

One stat that matters

228.4 The average number of rushing yards that Syracuse has given up in its five losses this season. Victorious opponents averaged 51.5 carries against the Orange.

The Gophers will win if …

They control the line of scrimmage, enabling Ibrahim to rack up the yards and Kaliakmanis to keep the offense balanced; they keep Orange QB Garrett Shrader (415 rushing yards, seven TD runs, 17 TD passes) from taking over the game; and they avoid turnovers.

The Orange will win if …

Shrader's ability to improvise catches Minnesota's defense off-guard; their defense succeeds on first and second down, forcing the Gophers into uncomfortable third-and-long situations; and they win the turnover battle and special teams matchups.

Prediction

Playing a bowl game in a baseball stadium for the second consecutive year wasn't the Gophers' goal this season, but coach P.J. Fleck has shown he can get his team focused for the postseason. Look for the Gophers to establish the run with Ibrahim chasing the program's career and single-season rushing records. That should open up the passing game for Kaliakmanis, who'll make his bowl debut. Joe Rossi's defense has been stout in bowl games, allowing an average of 13.3 points. The seniors who have helped this team win 31 games over the past four seasons are looking to close their careers in style, and look for that to happen in Yankee Stadium.

My expectation: The Gophers grab control of the game early, get Ibrahim his record and finish off the contest with senior QB Tanner Morgan kneeling down in Victory formation. Gophers 27, Syracuse 13

 

This game could come down to turnovers and big plays. If OL takes care of business, minus JMS, and we keep their QB under control then its our game. If not, someone will win.
 




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