FSU opens as double-digit favorite vs. Syracuse— ’Noles worth betting?

Do Florida State supporters still believe in their team? We’ll see when the results of the fan-confidence poll are returned shortly— but Vegas thinks the Seminoles will bounce back when they return home on Saturday.

The ’Noles (3-4, 2-3) are set to host the Syracuse Orange (3-4, 0-3) this weekend, And professional handicappers like FSU’s chances of evening its record in overall and conference play while keeping ’Cuse winless in the ACC. Florida State has opened as a 10.5-point favorite for Saturday’s homecoming game, with an over/under of 61 points. Translation: a Seminole victory in the neighborhood of 36-25.

Like FSU, the Orange are coming off a pair of conference losses, one-score defeats at NC State and vs. Pitt. Syracuse has not beaten a power-five team yet this season, as its victories are over Liberty, Western Michigan, and Holy Cross. The Orange beat Florida State 30-7 in the Carrier Dome last year after losing 10 straight to the ’Noles.

This line is not widely available, due to the injury of Syracuse QB Tommy DeVito— many casinos will not take action on the game until more is known about that injury. But typically, non-superstar QBs don’t cause too much movement to the line (maybe around a field goal or so), unless a team is forced into playing a receiver there or something. Case in point: Wake Forest opened as 1.5-point favorites over FSU, played their backup, and won by two.