The 2012 Pinstripe Bowl picks are going to be difficult to make, as the West Virginia Mountaineers and Syracuse Orange are set to do battle with one another in a Big XII vs. Big East battle. Check out our Pinstripe Bowl predictions and the keys to the game for West Virginia vs. Syracuse.

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2012 Pinstripe Bowl: West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Syracuse Orange
2012 Pinstripe Bowl Location: New Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
2012 Pinstripe Bowl Date/Time: Saturday, December 29th, 3:15 p.m. (ET)
2012 Pinstripe Bowl Television Coverage: ESPN, Watch ESPN

Key #1: These two teams have to weather the weather
We’ve always wondered if this was going to turn out to be the case in a bowl game here at Yankee Stadium, and we’re going to be getting some awfully fun weather as a result. It’s going to be snowy and cold in the Bronx, and the team that is going to win this game is going to be the one that adapts better to the conditions. Even though Syracuse is a team that plays its ball further north than this, it does take to games in the Carrier Dome, where it is always 72 degrees. West Virginia has already had a few games in which it has had to bare the elements, namely in a 59-10 win over the Kansas Jayhawks in Morgantown. Receivers have to make sure that they are wearing the right cleats and have the proper gloves on, and both quarterbacks are going to have to make sure that they keep a good grasp on the football, and whichever team executes that facet of the game better is going to be the one that ultimately goes on to win the Pinstripe Bowl in all likelihood.

Pinstripe Bowl Odds at Diamond Sportsbook
West Virginia Mountaineers -3.5
Syracuse Orange +3.5
Over/Under 72.5
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Key #2: The Syracuse secondary has to be ready for a war
It’s not so much that the West Virginia wide receivers have to be stopped, because there is just no way to actually stop both WR Tavon Austin and WR Stedman Bailey. The trick is figuring out how to contain them and to try to make someone else beat you if you’re the Orange. Syracuse’s secondary isn’t all that bad, as this unit ranked a modest 65th in the country against the pass this year, allowing 236.9 yards per game. The problem that we see though, is the fact that some of the best receivers in the nation have blown this secondary up. WR Robert Woods and WR Marqise Lee combined for 21 catches, 159 yards, and five TDs when the USC Trojans came to town earlier this year in the most comparable game. Stopping Bailey and Austin is just impossible, knowing that the two men combined this year to average the following stat line: 17.9 receptions, 230.6 receiving yards, 49.8 rushing yards, 85.9 return yards, and a total of 3.3 touchdowns per game. Those are numbers that are just out of this world for sure, and these two make up the best tandem of receivers this side of Woods and Lee in the nation.

Key #3: Ryan Nassib has to be prepared to throw for four bills
QB Ryan Nassib threw for 3,607 yards this year to go with 24 TDs, but he has to be prepared to really slug it out with QB Geno Smith and the West Virginia offense. This defense has shown its ability to give up points in bunches this year, and the team did allow just slews of points to teams with significantly less talented offenses. Nassib is going to have a lot on his shoulders in this one, as he is not only carrying the weight of his team, but he is also trying to impress the NFL scouts that think that he could be a first round NFL Draft pick this year. Nassib threw for 470 yards in the opening game of the season against the Northwestern Wildcats, and he had five other games this year in which he threw for at least 325 yards. He’s going to have to do that once again in this one in all likelihood if the Orange really have a chance of keeping up, and doing so in the snow is going to be all the more difficult to do.

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The Syracuse Orange haven’t played in a bowl game since 2004, and but they are going to be back and better than ever on Thursday when they take on the Kansas State Wildcats in a de facto home game at the Pinstripe Bowl. This is the first annual edition of this game, and it should be a classic, especially in New Yankee Stadium, one of the most interesting venues of any of the bowl games this year. However, to us, this game isn’t about pageantry, glitz, and glamour. It’s about beating the Pinstripe Bowl odds! These are the three keys to the game that you need to remember to consider when betting this one.

Key #1: Ryan Nassib is going to have to find some new options to work with
The biggest problem that the Orange might have in this game is that WR Van Chew is still nursing a groin injury. As it is, the top receiver on this team hasn’t caught more than three passes in a game since October 16th. However, the fact that he is the top target for the Orange and only has 41 catches for 611 yards and five scores isn’t good. We know that the ‘Cuse can run the football, but there is going to be a major problem if they can’t get the ball in the air. Nassib only threw for 2,095 yards and 16 TDs all season long, and though he doesn’t exactly need a 300+ yard performance, he does need to at least put some fear in the KSU defense. The next leading receiver on this team was WR Alec Lemon, who only had 30 catches, 377 yards, and four TDs. There were three players that caught 30+ passes aside from Chew, but one of them was RB Antwon Bailey, who only averaged 8.7 yards per reception and was largely just used as a check down option.

Key #2: Stopping Daniel Thomas is the key for the ‘Cuse
Head Coach Bill Snyder hates his quarterback situation so much that he benched his senior leader, QB Carson Coffman at the end of the season, and he put his faith in QB Collin Klein. There was so much faith in Klein in that first game against the Texas Longhorns that the Wildcats threw a grand total of two passes, and both were to Thomas out of the backfield. Needless to say, this is a one man band at times, as Thomas went for 1,495 yards and 16 TDs on the season. He’ll probably have over 300 carries for the season by the time this game is over, and he is still trying to make a name for himself in order to make the NFL. There were some pretty darn good running games this year in the Big East, but the Orange really didn’t allow all that many yards on the year. Giving up just 113.7 yards per game on the ground ranked No. 13 in the country. RB Jordan Todman did run for 130 yards and two TDs against these guys when the Connecticut Huskies came to the Carrier Dome, while the duo of Pittsburgh Panthers runners, RB Dion Lewis and RB Ray Graham combined for 131 yards and a score. West Virginia Mountaineers RB Noel Devine also ran for 122 yards. Hope is there, but Thomas is going to have to do a lot more than just run for 120 yards or so to be able to beat the Orange.

Key #3: Syracuse has to play better than its schedule this year
Though these teams had matching 7-5 records, there is clearly a tremendous discrepancy in the schedules that they played. The Orange took on a terrible conference, arguably worse than the Mountain West and maybe even the WAC, and though they played four road games in conference (and won all four, mind you), only the one against the West Virginia Mountaineers was really of any note. That win and the one against the South Florida Bulls were the only two against bowl teams this year. A non conference slate that featured wins against the Akron Zips and a pair of FCS teams doesn’t leave much to be desired. K-State played a significantly harder out of conference schedule, as the UCF Knights turned out to be the Conference USA champs and a legitimate Top 25 contender, while the UCLA Bruins and North Texas Mean Green turned out to put up tremendous fights. Just in general though, the day to day grind in the Big XII was significantly harder and probably prepped the Cats for this game significantly better than the Big East did for the Orange.