#21 Syracuse Football vs. Washington State Holiday Bowl Predictions: Check out our picks

Syracuse, NY – The No. 21 Syracuse football team will face Washington State in the Holiday Bowl on Friday at 8 p.m. at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, Calif. (TV: FOX).

It’s time for our predictions. The panel includes Brent Ax, sports columnist; Chris Carlson, sports reporter; and Nate Mink, senior producer for sports.

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BRENT AX

Syracuse 38, Washington State 17

Will Syracuse cover? Yes

It’s hard to imagine anything other than a simple day at the beach for the Orange, as Washington State barely has enough players to avoid being demoted to JV.

The only thing I would be worried about is a backdoor coverage by the Cougars once SU starts to get going.

Fun fact: Kyle McCord is 267 yards shy of Deshaun Watson’s ACC single-season passing mark (4,593 yards). If you’re looking for the signal to get McCord out of the game and give Jakhari Williams the game experience he needs, this is the marker.

CHRIS CARLSON

Syracuse 48, Washington State 7

Will Syracuse cover? Yes

The biggest question is whether Syracuse’s slew of touchdown passes will be the last in orange for quarterback Kyle McCord.

It won’t be a very entertaining game, but Syracuse fans who tune in will see the farewell touchdowns for Oronde Gadsden II and Jackson Meeks as part of a stunning victory

The Cougars have a quarterback, so they’ll probably score once or twice against SU’s reserves, but that’s the only difference between the Holiday Bowl and last year’s Boca Raton Bowl, which the Orange lost 45-0. when they played without and with their head coach, a group of players who look to different future prospects.

Without a healthy backup quarterback, Washington State, which lost both its quarterback, its coach and its two coordinators, would be in worse shape than the Orange were heading into the postseason last year.

The Cougars currently have 26 players who have either transferred or plan to.

NATE MINK

Syracuse 38, Washington State 21

Will Syracuse cover? Yes

The celebratory eggnog serving at the end of the game, overseen by the country’s premier hot dog eating champion, exemplifies the big, beautiful mess that college football has always been.

In Syracuse, some seniors are preparing for their final game. Others may not be so sure, including the record-setting 22-year-old quarterback.

On Friday night in San Diego, they will present a trophy to the winner as fans wait to hear what prize they want most.

It will be like a big lunch meeting with Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt and Jenny Taft on the broadcast, who also called Kyle McCord’s final game at Ohio State.

In fact, things have come full circle.

Point distribution: Syracuse by 16.5 points

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This season’s records

Brent Axe: 9-3 straight up; 6-6 against the spread

Chris Carlson: 8-4 in a row; 5-7 against the spread

Nate Mink: 3-9 straight; 3-9 against the spread