Syracuse vs Pittsburgh Prediction & Betting Tips - Oct. 24 | College Football Week 9

The Syracuse Orange go on the road to play the No. 19 Pittsburgh Panthers on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on ESPN.

Syracuse (5-1, 2-1 ACC) is coming off a 24-17 win over NC State. Pittsburgh (6-0, 2-0 ) is coming off a 17-15 win over Cal.

Syracuse vs Pitt: Preview

Syracuse is a 5.5-point underdog on the road, while the over/under is set at 62 points.

The Orange is riding a three-game winning streak and coming off a win over NC State. In the win, Syracuse was led by Kyle McCord, who threw for 346 yards and two touchdowns, while LeQuint Allen rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown.

The win improved the Orange to 5-1, and coach Fran Brown is happy with his team's effort.

“Just thankful that we’ve been able to start off pretty good,” Brown said, via Spectrum News. “I thought we gave up too many big plays, but we were able to complement each other. I’m just happy for Syracuse University right now.”

Justin Barron led the Orange on defense, who had an interception and a fumble.

“It’s exciting. We’ve been preaching it all season, and we really focused in on it and were able to get the ball,” Barron said. “It’s something that you really see on film, just the way the ball carriers carry the ball. They were carrying it really loose.”

Syracuse is led by McCord, who's thrown for 2,160 yards, 19 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Pitt, meanwhile, has been a surprise undefeated team this season. The Panthers are coming off a close win over Cal.

"I'm proud of our team," coach Pat Narduzzi said, via DK Pittsburgh Sports. "They just find ways to win football games. Obviously, the offense didn't play great today, but the defense played lights out, and that's what you want to have."

The Panthers used their defense to get the win as Pitt had a season-high six sacks, 11 TFLs and forced three straight three-and-outs in a scoreless third quarter. Panthers running back Desmond Reid was happy with his team's defense.

"Every game isn't going to be good as an offense, we aren't going to do what we want to do every game," Reid said. "But the defense came in the clutch and that was something that we've been looking for since the season started. They did their thing today and, honestly, they are the reason we won. They fought, they got stops and they did what they were supposed to do."

If Pitt is going to beat Syracuse on Saturday, its offense will need to be much better. The Panthers defense should be able to have success and likely get a turnover or two against McCord.

Ultimately, this game likely comes down to a field goal, but the Panthers at home and its defense will be the difference.

Prediction: Pitt 37, Syracuse 34

Syracuse vs Pitt: Betting Tips

Tip 1: Syracuse +5.5 (-108)

Tip 2: Over 62 points (-110)

Tip 3: Kyle McCord to throw an interception