No. 8 Miami makes a rare return to Syracuse, facing the Orange with ACC title game berth at stake
Miami quarterback Cam Ward (1) looks for an open receiver during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Georgia Tech, Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024, in Atlanta. Credit: AP/Jason Allen
No. 8 Miami (10-1, 6-1 ACC, No. 6 CFP) at Syracuse (8-3, 4-3), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)
BetMGM College Football Odds: Miami by 10.5.
Series record: Miami leads 16-7.
What’s at stake?
Miami needs a win to clinch a berth in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game against SMU on Dec. 7 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and remain on track for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Syracuse — with a win Saturday and then in a bowl game — still has a shot at a 10-win season, which would be the eighth in the school's 134-season history of football.
Key matchup
It's the quarterback battle. Syracuse's Kyle McCord entered the week No. 1 nationally with 3,946 yards and tied for seventh with 26 touchdown passes. Miami's Cam Ward entered the week No. 2 nationally with 3,774 yards and No. 1 nationally with 34 touchdown passes.
Players to watch
Miami: WR Xavier Restrepo is 21 receiving yards from becoming the first Hurricane ever with two 1,000-yard seasons. He had 1,092 receiving yards last year.
Syracuse: TE Oronde Gadsden II, the son of Miami Dolphins WR legend Oronde Gadsden, leads the Orange with 810 receiving yards, nine more than WR Jackson Meeks.
Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord (6) throws a pass during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against California, Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif. Credit: AP/Jose Carlos Fajardo
Facts & figures
The Hurricanes are playing at Syracuse for the first time since 2002. The two most recent meetings — 2003 and 2017, both one-touchdown wins for the Hurricanes — were in South Florida. ... The teams have three common opponents: Georgia Tech, Cal and Virginia Tech. Syracuse went 3-0 in those games, Miami 2-1 with the loss to Georgia Tech. ... Miami is the fourth team that will be in the AP Top 25 when it plays Syracuse this season. The Orange are 2-1 in their previous such games. Miami hasn't faced a ranked-at-the-time opponent this season. ... Ward has thrown for 153 touchdowns in college, two shy of former Houston QB Case Keenum’s Division I (FBS and FCS) record of 155 and nine shy of John Matocha’s all-division record of 162. Matocha played at Division II’s Colorado School of Mines. ... Miami has been ranked for each of its last seven trips to Syracuse.
