The 2023 Boca Raton Bowl will take place on Thursday night when the South Florida Bulls face the Syracuse Orange in Boca Raton, Florida at FAU Stadium with the game kicking off at 8:00 PM ET and will air on ESPN.

 

The South Florida Bulls finished the regular season with a record of 6-6 which led to a 5^th place finish in the American Athletic Conference and won three of their last five games including a 48-14 in the season finale against the Charlotte 49ers. The Bulls had one of the worst scoring defenses in college football this season as they allowed an average of 34.92 points per game which was the 10^th most and the 2^nd most given up by a bowl-eligible team.

 

However, South Florida was an above-average scoring team as they averaged 30.83 points per game and had one of the best-rushing offenses in college football as they averaged 186.17 rushing yards per game.

 

Byrum Brown played a pivotal role in the success the Bulls had offensively this season as he led the team in passing and was 2^nd on the team in rushing as he enters this game having completed 257 of 401 attempts for 3,078 yards with 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while rushing for 745 yards and 11 touchdowns. The South Florida Bulls will look to build off the momentum following the win against the Charlotte 49ers and finish the season with a winning record when they play the Syracuse Orange on Thursday night.

 

The Syracuse Orange finished in 11^th place in the ACC with a record of 6-6 and won two of their last three matchups including a 35-31 win in the season finale against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. The Orange had a below-average scoring offense as they averaged 25.5 points per game, however, they had an above-average scoring defense that allowed an average of 23.75 points per game. Garrett Shrader wasn’t as successful as he was during his Junior year, however, he still had a solid season as he completed 134 of 214 attempts for 1,691 yards with 13 touchdowns and six interceptions while adding 460 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

 

The Orange will look to end the season with a winning record when they play the South Florida Bulls in the Boca Raton Bowl.

 

BookMaker has the Syracuse Orange listed as 3-point favorites against the South Florida Bulls in the Boca Raton Bowl on Thursday night. South Florida has won eight of the last ten and two of the last three meetings while going 8-2 ATS in the last ten and 2-1 ATS in the last three games in the series. The South Florida Bulls are 6-6 ATS overall and 5-2 ATS as an underdog this season while the Syracuse Orange are 5-6-1 ATS overall and 4-1-1 ATS as a favorite on the year.

 

Both teams enter this game with identical records of 6-6, however, South Florida enters this game having been the better team in the series, winning eight of the last ten and two of the last three meetings. The Bulls have also been the better team at covering the spread in the series, going 8-2 ATS in the last ten and 2-1 ATS in the last three contests while also being the better team at covering the spread this season as they are 6-6 ATS overall while the Orange are 5-6-1 ATS overall which is why I am taking the points with the South Florida Bulls when they play the Syracuse Orange in the Boca Raton Bowl.

 

USF has big play ability and have scored over 35 points in half their games this season.  Syracuse has a good defense but that is based on weaker opponents and when playing bowl type teams have given up quite a bit.  Back and forth scoring should send it over.