← Matchups

Louisville

ACC · 1-1 · power +21.9 · #26
Our numberLOU -13.6 no book has priced this game

Syracuse

ACC · 1-1 (0-1 ACC) · power +5.2 · #122
Our side
MoneylineLOU to win ours 18%
Projected score 33–20 LOU – SYR
2026-10-17 · kickoff TBD JMA Wireless Dome · Syracuse, NY ACC game Indoors Early season

The books

No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.

Series Louisville lead 13–8 · 21 meetings since 1985
2025 unit ranks — last completed season, from games actually played
Run game edge Louisville Cardinals 229 ranks
Louisville Cardinals #25 rush offense Syracuse Orange #254 run defense
Pass game even 43 ranks apart
Louisville Cardinals #209 pass offense Syracuse Orange #252 pass defense
Run game edge Louisville Cardinals 138 ranks
Syracuse Orange #232 rush offense Louisville Cardinals #94 run defense
Pass game edge Louisville Cardinals 255 ranks
Syracuse Orange #260 pass offense Louisville Cardinals #5 pass defense
Louisville Cardinals Balanced · 49% run Ball-control Syracuse Orange Balanced · 51% run Ball-control
Jeff Brohm · 86-51 · defense-minded Fran Brown · 13-12

Ranked by team-unit strength (rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265 D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the 2025 season.

The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above

Who carried each team in 2025
Louisville Cardinals
QB Lincoln Kienholz 639 pass yds · 4 TD · 0 INT #1 QB
WR Tre Richardson 11 rec · 181 yds · 1 TD #69 WR
TE Jaleel Skinner 5 rec · 137 yds · 1 TD #23 TE
WR Lawayne McCoy 5 rec · 164 yds · 2 TD #102 WR
Syracuse Orange
WR Umari Hatcher 14 rec · 224 yds · 2 TD #38 WR
TE Daunte Bacheyie 6 rec · 85 yds · 2 TD #21 TE
LB Chris D'Appolonia 15 tkl · 1.0 sacks · 3.0 TFL #111 LB
RB Shavane Anderson Jr. 120 rush yds · 3 TD #148 RB

Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no 2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.

Power breakdown
TeamPowerOffDefRank
Louisville CardinalsACC +21.9 +16.3 +5.6 #26
Syracuse OrangeACC +5.2 +1.5 +3.7 #122

Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).

Where the number comes from
Louisville offense vs Syracuse defense+12.6 pts
Syracuse offense vs Louisville defense-4.1 pts
Travel · context onlyAway team travels 604 mi

An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.

Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them. Adding them again would double-count.