The North Carolina Tar Heels (2-5, 0-3 ACC) will travel to take on the Syracuse Orange (3-5, 1-4 ACC) on Friday night at JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse. Both of these teams are playing horribly in the ACC this season, but someone does have to win this contest from Central New York. Before kickoff between the Heels and Orange, continue reading to get my North Carolina vs Syracuse prediction in college football.
Our North Carolina vs Syracuse Pick
- Pick: Syracuse -2.5
- Confidence: ★☆☆☆☆
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: North Carolina Tar Heels vs Syracuse Orange
- Date & Time: Friday, October 31, 2025, 7:30 p.m. ET
- Venue: JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY
- Broadcast: ESPN
Key Storylines
Both teams enter this contest desperate for momentum. Syracuse enters this game at 3-5 and has lost four games in a row. Their slide coincides with the loss of starting quarterback Steve Angeli, who is out for the season. The Orange will try to get into the win column without him here. North Carolina is 2-5 and dropped a close 17-16 game at home to the Virginia Cavaliers last week. UNC has looked better over their last two games, losing them by a combined four points, but they haven’t been good enough to win games consistently yet.
Syracuse is playing at home here. But they are 0-2 at home since having to make a change at quarterback for the injured Angeli. The Orange are favored by oddsmakers and this might be their best chance to get a win for the rest of the season. North Carolina has been a circus of a program this season under Bill Belichick and will try to at least quiet their critics temporarily with a win.
Quarterback Play
North Carolina signal-caller Gio Lopez went 23-of-36 for 208 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions against Virginia. He also rushed for a touchdown in that game. That outing highlighted both his dual-threat ability and his tendency to turn the football over. He needs to clean up the turnovers if his team is going to get a win anytime soon.
Rickie Collins has taken over at quarterback in the place of Angeli for the Orange. He threw for 224 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions last week against Georgia Tech. But Collins hasn’t been good enough to help Syracuse keep up with the more explosive offenses in college football just yet.
Betting Trends
- North Carolina is 4-3 against the spread so far this season.
- Syracuse is 3-4-1 against the spread for the year so far.
- North Carolina is 1-5-1 on over/unders this year, strongly favoring the under.
- Syracuse is 4-4 in the over/under market for the season.
North Carolina vs Syracuse Model Projection
Score Projection: Syracuse 27 – North Carolina 17
Win Probability: Syracuse 62%, North Carolina 38%
Final Thoughts
This game might be the scariest thing on television on Halloween night. Both programs have been playing some dismal football and I don’t see any reason why that wouldn’t continue here. I’ll go with Syracuse to win this game and cover the spread, but I’d much rather watch Halloween: Resurrection starring Busta Rhymes than this game.
