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FACTS & STATS: Site: Carrier Dome (49,550) -- Syracuse, New York. Television: Big East Net. Home Record: West Virginia 3-0, Syracuse 2-2. Away Record: West Virginia 0-1, Syracuse 0-1. Neutral Record: West Virginia 0-0, Syracuse 0-0. Conference Record: West Virginia 0-0, Syracuse 0-1. Series Record: Syracuse leads, 30-26.

GAME NOTES: The West Virginia Mountaineers will attempt to continue their recent dominance of the Syracuse Orange as the two Big East programs battle this weekend.

This game marks the league opener for West Virginia, and since joining the Big East in 1991, the team is 10-8 in conference lidlifters. The Mountaineers are 3-1 overall this season and have scored at least 30 points in all four of their games. The lone loss came on the road to an outstanding Auburn team by 11 points.

As for Syracuse, it opened Big East play last weekend with a 34-20 home loss to South Florida. The Orange fell to 2-3 overall and 2-2 in the Carrier Dome. First-year head coach Doug Marrone has his team playing hard every week, but it will take a few years to elevate the Orange to contender status in the Big East.

While Syracuse holds a 30-26 advantage in the all-time series with West Virginia, the Mountaineers have won the last seven meetings.

The Mountaineers have had little trouble moving the ball or scoring points this season, as they are racking up 33.2 ppg and 465.2 total ypg. They have achieved tremendous balance by rushing for 208.5 ypg and passing for 256.8 ypg. While the big rushing numbers have come to be expected from the Mountaineers, the performance of Jarrett Brown and the passing attack has been surprising. Brown, a first-year starter, has completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 946 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. Jock Sanders has been the best of the receivers, as he has made 32 gabs for 327 yards and two scores. As for the ground game, tailback Noel Devine is one of the best in the nation, and the speedster has rushed for 540 yards and six touchdowns to date. Even Brown has done damage with his legs, rushing for 201 yards and a score. Against Colorado in the 35-24 victory on October 1st, Devine ran for a career-high 220 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown scamper in the first quarter. Ryan Clarke added a pair of scoring runs for the Mountaineers, who finished with 405 total yards and won despite losing four fumbles.

Opponents are scoring 26.2 ppg against West Virginia, which is allowing 332.0 total ypg. The club has been dominant against the run, yielding only 87.8 ypg and 2.8 ypc. Against the pass, however, the Mountaineers have been victimized for 244.2 ypg at a clip of 11.9 yards per completion. Of the 11 offensive touchdowns scored by opponents, eight have come through the air. J.T. Thomas leads WVU in tackles with 28, including 4.5 for loss. As for Julian Miller, he is tops with 3.5 sacks. West Virginia allowed 392 total yards to Colorado last time out and permitted three touchdowns on plays of 20 or more yards. But while the defensive performance was far from perfect, WVU did come up with three big interceptions that played a major role in the victory.

Syracuse quarterback Greg Paulus has garnered a great deal of national attention this season because he used to play basketball for the high profile Duke program. Through the first four games of the season, Paulus had performed quite well. Unfortunately, he had a disastrous game against USF last week, throwing five interceptions to overshadow 269 yards and two touchdowns. Both scoring passes went to standout receiver Mike Williams, who recorded 13 catches for 186 yards. In all, Syracuse committed seven turnovers, so it's surprising that the club only lost by 14 points. Paulus has completed an impressive 64.4 percent of his passes for 1,157 yards and eight touchdowns against nine picks. Williams has 41 catches for 623 yards and five scores, while Delone Carter leads the rushing attack with five touchdowns and 327 yards.

The Syracuse defense allowed 333 total yards to the Bulls last week, not bad considering the fact that the unit was constantly put in bad situations by Paulus and the offense. Against the run, the Orange yielded a mere 3.4 ypc, but the pass defense wasn't nearly as strong, as USF averaged 17.3 yards per completion. Overall this season, opponents are scoring 28.6 ppg against Syracuse, which has allowed 13 passing touchdowns and just five rushing scores. The Orange are permitting 2.9 ypc and 12.9 yards per pass, so the USF game was more of a trend continuation than an aberration. With 12 sacks and 13 takeaways, Syracuse has made a decent amount of impact plays, and Derrell Smith paces the club with 47 total tackles, including 4.5 sacks. Smith has also forced three fumbles.

Paulus will take much better care of the ball this week, but West Virginia will still win the game. The balanced offense of the Mountaineers will wear down the Orange.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: West Virginia 31, Syracuse 17