Syracuse vs Cal prediction & betting tips - Nov. 16 | College Football Week 12

The Syracuse Orange are on the road to play the California Golden Bears on Saturday, Nov. 16, at 3:30 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast live on CW Network.

Syracuse (6-3, 3-3 ACC) is coming off a 37-31 loss to Boston College. Cal (5-4, 1-4 ACC) is coming off a 45-36 road win over Wake Forest.

Syracuse vs Cal: Preview

Syracuse is a 10-point underdog on the road, while the over/under is set at 57.5 points.

The Orange are 1-2 in their past three games and are already bowl eligible, so Syracuse doesn't have much to play for its final games as a College Football Playoff berth looks unlikely. The Orange are looking to rebound after a bad showing against Boston College, which coach Fran Brown wasn't a fan of, via NY Post:

“Honestly, I’ve got like a ritual when we lose. I didn’t even get into the shower until earlier this morning. I just be mad, brush my teeth. It’s like, ‘I don’t deserve soap. I don’t deserve to do all that.’

"I’m just focused on trying to get back and try to make sure that our players mentally understand that I let them down. They didn’t do it. I just wake up all night. Especially when we lose. I wake up like damn, that really happened that way. And then I just move on.”

Syracuse is led by Kyle McCord who's thrown for 3,153 yards, 23 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. LeQuint Allen has rushed for 652 yards and nine touchdowns, and Jackson Meeks has caught 55 passes for 653 yards and four touchdowns.

Defensively, the Orange is led by Jayden Bellamy with two interceptions, Fadil Diggs has four sacks and Justin Barron has 60 tackles.

Cal, meanwhile, is on a two-game winning streak and is one game away from being bowl-eligible. The Golden Bears have been a surprise team this season.

“When we first got into the ACC, a lot of people were expecting us to go down, be an easy team,” linebacker Xavier Carlton said. "Instead, the Bears decided, 'We’re going to show every team we play it’s going to be a long day.'”

Cal is led by Fernando Mendoza who's thrown for 2,480 yards, 12 touchdowns, and four interceptions. Jaivian Thomas has rushed for 503 yards and six touchdowns.

Defensively, Nohl Williams has seven interceptions, Xavier Carlton has nine sacks and Teddye Buchanan has 83 tackles.

This season, teams traveling across the country have struggled and that should be the case here. Cal will likely force an interception or two which will give the Golden Bears good field position and allow Cal to get a big win here and become bowl-eligible.

Prediction: Cal 34, Syracuse 21

Syracuse vs Cal: Betting Tips

Tip 1: Cal -10 (-108)

Tip 2: Under 57.5 (-112)

Tip 3: Fernando Mendoza over 275 passing yards (-130)