Clemson vs. Syracuse picks, predictions: Week 5 college football game odds, lines

Expert predictions for Clemson vs. Syracuse by the computer analytic models that pick college football games

Coming off the second loss of its season and slipping out of the playoff conversation, unranked Clemson goes on the road against undefeated Syracuse in a battle of ACC rivals as college football's Week 5 action kicks off on Saturday.

That costly, second loss came at home against Florida State, which broke a seven-game losing skid in the series, and moved into pole position in not only the ACC conference title race, but also the College Football Playoff hunt. Cade Klubnik is a 66 percent passer for Clemson, which averages 474 total yards per game.

Syracuse posts over 507 yards on offense each time out behind a balanced attack that averages 213 rushing yards per game and boasts a road win against a Power Five opponent after defeating Purdue by 15 points two weeks ago.

What do the experts think of the matchup? Let's see how the College Football Power Index computer prediction model projects the game.

Clemson vs. Syracuse picks, predictions

Clemson vs. Syracuse picks, predictions / USA Today Images

Syracuse odds: The computers are predicting an upset as the Orange have the projected 55.1 percent chance to win, according to the computers that simulate games 20,000 times to pick winners.

Clemson odds: Conversely, the Tigers are forecasted to win the game in 44.9 percent of the simulations, according to the latest models.

Point spread: The bookies take a different view, naming Clemson as the 6.5 point favorites against Syracuse, according to the lines at SI Sportsbook, which set the total at 53.5 points.

Clemson predictions: The index forecasts that Clemson will be 14.1 points better than an average opponent and estimates it will win 6.8 games this season, with a meager 1.8 percent chance of winning out.

Syracuse predictions: Down 4 spots in the index rankings despite the win, the models forecast the Orange to be 13.4 points better than opponents and projected to win 9.4 games this season.

College Football Power Index

Football Power Index (FPI) college football rankings and computer prediction model are a measure of team strength that predicts a team’s future performance.

Rankings and scores predictions are based on 20,000 simulations of a team’s season and games, using a combination of key analytics, including scores to date, quality of opponents, team talent, recruiting, and a team’s schedule.

Teams are ranked not strictly in order of talent like in other rankings, but by a projected point margin per game against an average team on a neutral field.

Clemson vs. Syracuse schedule

When: Sat., Sept. 30
Time: 12 p.m. Eastern
TV: ABC network
Stream live: fuboTV (Try for free)

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College football rankings

According to AP top 25 poll

1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Texas
4. Ohio State
5. Florida State
6. Penn State
7. Washington
8. USC
9. Oregon
10. Utah
11. Notre Dame
12. Alabama
13. LSU
14. Oklahoma
15. North Carolina
16. Washington State
17. Duke
18. Miami
19. Oregon State
20. Ole Miss
21. Tennessee
22. Florida
23. Missouri
24. Kansas
25. Fresno State

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