FSU vs. Syracuse: TV Info, Spread, Injury Updates, Game Time and More

With a showdown against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish looming, the Florida State Seminoles must find a way to avoid a trap game against the Syracuse Orange on Saturday if they hope to hold onto their No. 1 ranking and inside track toward a College Football Playoff spot.

With that in mind, here is a look at some of the essentials for the game before we dig into a preview and prediction.

Florida State vs. Syracuse

Date: Saturday, Oct. 11

Time: 12 p.m. ET

Spread: FSU -23.5, according to Odds Shark, as of Wednesday evening 

TV: ESPN/Watch ESPN

Injury Updates

The injury report for each team is courtesy of USA Today as of Wednesday evening:

Player	Pos.	Date	Details	Status	Injury
Austin Barron	C	10/06/2014	is out indefinitely	Out	arm
Demarcus Christmas	DT	10/06/2014	is expected to miss Saturday's game against Syracuse	Out	ankle
Rashad Greene	WR	10/05/2014	is questionable for Saturday's game against Syracuse	Questionable	concussion
Isaiah Jones	WR	08/16/2014	will miss the entire season	Out	academics
Nile Lawrence-Stample	DT	09/24/2014	will miss the remainder of the season	Out	pectoral
Sean Maguire	QB	10/06/2014	is doubtful for Saturday's game against Syracuse	Doubtful	hand
Trey Marshall	DB	10/05/2014	is questionable for Saturday's game against Syracuse	Questionable	concussion
Derrick Mitchell Jr	DT	10/05/2014	is questionable for Saturday's game against Syracuse	Questionable	knee
Delvin Purifoy	LB	08/31/2014	will miss the entire season	Out	ankle
Terrance Smith	LB	10/05/2014	is questionable for Saturday's game against Syracuse	Questionable	hip
Matthew Thomas	LB	09/05/2014	is suspended indefinitely	Suspended	disciplinary
Karlos Williams	RB	10/06/2014	is doubtful for Saturday's game against Syracuse	Doubtful	ankle

Player	Pos.	Date	Details	Status	Injury
Ashton Broyld	WR	09/23/2014	is expected to miss 2-3 weeks	Out	leg
Adly Enoicy	WR	10/05/2014	is questionable for Saturday's game against Florida State	Questionable	knee
Brisly Estime	WR	10/05/2014	is questionable for Saturday's game against Florida State	Questionable	ankle
Ivan Foy	OL	10/05/2014	is questionable for Saturday's game against Florida State	Questionable	lower body
Terrel Hunt	QB	10/06/2014	is expected to miss 4-6 weeks	Out	leg
Ross Krautman	K	08/04/2014	will miss the entire season	Out	hip
Devante McFarlane	RB	10/05/2014	is questionable for Saturday's game against Florida State	Questionable	leg
Josh Mims	S	08/22/2014	has left the team	Out	personal
Wayne Morgan	CB	10/05/2014	is questionable for Saturday's game against Florida State	Questionable	knee
John Raymon	DT	10/06/2014	is questionable for Saturday's game against Florida State	Questionable	knee
Rodney Williams	DB	10/05/2014	is questionable for Saturday's game against Florida State	Questionable	lower body

Preview

Yes, Florida State struggled to get past Clemson (without star quarterback Jameis Winston, mind you) and allowed a surprising 41 points to North Carolina State, but it is still undefeated. 

After the past week of incredible upsets in college football, that is really all that matters. Alex Scarborough of ESPN reinforced that idea:

Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher likely had that same concept in mind when he made the following comments, according to The Associated Press, via ESPN.com:

"

I told our kids after the game, 'Go enjoy playing. It's like the pressure of playing today -- you've got to win, you've got to do this. Are you dominant? Who cares? Who cares if you're as dominant as you were last year? Just keep getting better at being the team you are and enjoy playing the game of football.

"

The good news for Florida State is that it has a history of domination when it comes to playing Syracuse. In fact, the Seminoles destroyed the Orange 59-3 last year in a game that was never in doubt. It was Florida State’s sixth straight victory against Syracuse, and the Seminoles outscored the Orange by an average of 29.2 points a game during that span.

Nick Lisi/Associated Press

Syracuse has more problems than just Florida State, though.

The Orange have dropped three straight games and lost quarterback Terrel Hunt to injury in Friday’s loss to Louisville. Hunt is the team leader in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns for an offense that has been lackluster for much of the season.

Without him, moving the ball could prove even more difficult.

Gerry Broome/Associated Press

Syracuse needed two overtimes to get past Villanova, scored only 15 points against Notre Dame and managed just six points against Louisville. Florida State, on the other hand, has put up a combined 99 points the past two weeks and ranks 15th in the nation in passing yards per game. The Orange simply won’t be able to keep up.

The only real concern for the Seminoles is avoiding getting caught in a trap game. Next up for the defending champs is a showdown with Notre Dame, which could be one of the most important college football games of the season, but they cannot overlook a conference road game, no matter how large the gap in talent may be Saturday.

The Seminoles will start slowly in this noon showdown (with Notre Dame in mind), but the talent difference will prove to be too much. This game will be over by halftime. 

Prediction: Florida State 49, Syracuse 17

Follow me on Twitter:

Follow @ScottPolacek