No. 15 West Virginia travels to play Syracuse on Friday night in Big East football action. The Mountaineers enter the contest as a 14-point favorite in this college football contest with the total set at 59. West Virginia (5-1, 1-0 Big East) enters the contest one of the hottest teams in the country while Syracuse is looking to remain with a shot at the Big East title, even though they are 4-2 overall and 0-1 in the conference. Kickoff is slated for 8 p.m. Friday night with the game being televised nationally on ESPN.

Free Game Analysis: The Syracuse team was able to beat West Virginia 19-14 last season in Morgantown, but the win is a bit misleading. West Virginia only gave up three points defensively in the contest. Quarterback Geno Smith threw three interceptions (all in the first half) and was sacked five times in the loss and essentially helped the Mountaineers beat themselves. The Mountaineers are coming off a bye week while Syracuse struggled to beat Tulane 37-34 in a sandwich game two weeks ago. Was it a look-ahead spot? Potentially, but it's over now. The Orange also are coming off a bye week.  West Virginia enters the game as one of the best offenses in college football. The Mountaineers are racking up just over 380 yards through the air this season, good for third nationally. West Virginia went into the bye following back-to-back wins by a combined 98-26 points beating Bowling Green and Connecticut. I don't see how Syracuse will be able to slow down an attack that averages over 500 yards of total offense every game. Syracuse's defense isn't terrible, but last game's performance will have to improve or they will be blown out at home. Dustin Garrison is averaging nearly 7 yards per carry and if he is able to continue to bust off big runs, West Virginia will win big. Syracuse will have to control the style of play with running the ball and picking up key first downs. The more the Mountaineer defense is on the field, the more likely Syracuse is in this game.

Free Pick: I just don't see how Syracuse can stay in this football game. They are an average Big East team while West Virginia is one of the most elite offensive teams in the country. The spread is at 14 points and if Syracuse can score 21 points or so, I think they have a shot to cover. However, I see the Mountaineers rolling up a ton of yards and points in this game with a revenge spot from last season. I'm going with West Virginia 38, Syracuse 14

Free Picks: West Virginia at Syracuse Betting
Style points with big favorites and Powerful offenses peaking at the right time plus other factors college football bettors need to know about West Virginia at Syracuse (Saturday, October 22, 2011) from Pregame.com - Including predictions from Marco D'Angelo and analysis from host RJ Bell.