All across the country, the decisions of high-profile college football stars to sit out their bowl games to begin focusing on their futures in the NFL has had a major impact on bowl season. However, perhaps no bowl has been affected as hard as the 2018 Camping World Bowl in Orlando between the West Virginia Mountaineers and Syracuse Orange. The Mountaineers originally opened as 6.5-point favorites, but after QB Will Grier announced he'd sit out, the line swung all the way to Syracuse -3 with the total at 67.5 in the latest Syracuse vs. West Virginia odds. And since nobody knows what to expect without Grier in the WVU lineup, you'll definitely want to check out what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say before locking in your own Syracuse vs. West Virginia picks and 2018 Camping World Bowl predictions.
The model simulates every FBS college football game 10,000 times, and those who have followed it have seen massive returns. Over the past three years, this proprietary computer model has generated a jaw-dropping $4,210 profit for $100 bettors on its top-rated point-spread picks.
The model made some huge calls on Championship Week, including nailing Ohio State (-16.5) against Northwestern and Oklahoma (-9.5) against Texas. And when it comes to all top-rated picks, the model has been red-hot, entering the 2018 college football season on a blistering 45-25 run. The same model has also hit almost 70 percent of its bowl picks straight up over the past three years. Anybody who has been following it is way, way up.
Now the model has evaluated the latest 2018 Camping World Bowl odds and revealed picks. We can tell you the model is leaning to the under, and it has a strong pick against the spread as well, saying one side hits in over 50 percent of simulations. You can only get that Camping World Bowl 2018 pick over at SportsLine.
The model has factored in that the Mountaineers will be missing Grier, who is focusing on the upcoming NFL Draft. His 37 touchdown passes and 3,864 passing yards will be missed, but backup quarterback Jack Allison knows the offense and is capable of getting the ball into the hands of his playmakers. The two big stars are wideouts Gary Jennings and David Sills. Jennings leads the squad with 917 receiving yards and has hit pay dirt 13 times while netting 17 yards per catch. Sills, likely to be an NFL draftee himself, leads the team with 15 touchdowns.
West Virginia can also rely on a steady ground attack to keep the ball away from the Orange. A trio of running backs are available to keep the pressure off Allison. Martell Pettaway has racked up 562 rushing yards while gaining 6.0 yards a pop, Kennedy McKoy leads the squad with 729 yards and another 221 receiving, and Leddie Brown has chipped in 433 more.
But just because the Orange will face a high-octane offense doesn't mean they can't cover the Camping World Bowl spread.
If Syracuse wants to secure 10 victories for the first time since 2001, one of the main factors will be how much pressure its defense can put on Grier's replacement. Allison has thrown just 10 career passes, all this season, in mop-up duty behind Grier. So if Syracuse edge rushers Alton Robinson, Kendall Coleman, Josh Black and Kingsley Jonathan, who've combined for 27 sacks this season, can make him play under duress consistently, it could be a recipe for disaster for the Mountaineers.
That's also where Andre Cisco and the rest of the Syracuse defense can turn the game in an instant. Cisco intercepted seven passes this season and Syracuse's defense intercepted 17 passes as a team, so if the Orange can force Allison into multiple turnovers their chances of covering as a three-point favorite increase substantially.
Plus, Syracuse is 7-3 against the spread this season versus FBS teams, compared to 5-3 for West Virginia. The Orange have won and covered four of their last five games, including 20-point wins over Louisville and Boston College.
Who wins West Virginia vs. Syracuse? And which side covers over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Camping World Bowl spread you need to be all over, all from the incredible computer model that has returned over $4,200 to $100 bettors, and find out.
