Under normal circumstances, we'd have very little interest in laying 17 points in Week 1 with a team that is welcoming a new head coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and starting quarterback. These are not normal circumstances. Syracuse is welcoming in a new regime, but this handicap revolves around what happened to the Bobcats during the offseason. The fine folks of Athens, Ohio have been treated to a lot of good football in recent years: Five MAC East titles and 13 bowl appearances since 2006. Unfortunately for head coach Tim Albin, virtually no one is left to carry the green-and-white torch. Ohio won the division title in 2022, and 21 players from that team have "upgraded" from that team (15 have transferred to Power Four schools and six graduated/turned pro). According to ESPN's Bill Connelly, the Bobcats are projected to return 38-percent of their production from last season (No. 127 in the country). On paper, the players that are arriving in Athens look a lot different than the ones that are leaving. Over the last two offseasons, Ohio has sent eight transfers to the Big Ten. Take a look at the players that are expected to replace them. Ohio is welcoming seven transfers from the FCS/Division-II level. According to 247Sports, Ohio's class of incoming freshmen and transfers ranks No. 110 in the country and sixth-best in the MAC. Syracuse is experiencing a coaching change, but the Orange will return a lot of production from last year's team. Syracuse is projected to return eight starters on offense from last year's squad, and the Orange should get a nice boost at quarterback thanks to the arrival of Kyle McCord from Ohio State. Buckeyes' head coach Ryan Day didn't think he could win a national title with McCord at the helm (which was probably true), but McCord should be able to pass this first test with his new squad with flying colors. When you've got a new coaching staff in their first game with the program, they usually look to make a statement if the opportunity presents itself. Needless to say, we believe that the opportunity will present itself. At the time of posting, there are a handful of -16.5's available in the market, so be sure to shop around. We're comfortable playing this at anything under -21.