Syracuse Football 2023 Schedule Review

The easiest and most difficult games for the Orange this season.

Mike McAllister | Aug 27, 2023

Syracuse Football 2023 Schedule Review /

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Syracuse Orange

Syracuse football's 2023 schedule is an intriguing one. Here is a reminder the slate in its entirety and analysis of how it breaks down for the Orange:

FULL SCHEDULE

Saturday, September 2nd: COLGATE

Saturday, September 9th: WESTERN MICHIGAN

Saturday, September 16th: at Purdue

Saturday, September 23rd: ARMY

Saturday, September 30th: CLEMSON

Saturday, October 7th: at North Carolina

Saturday, October 14th: at Florida State

Saturday, October 21st: Bye Week

Thursday, October 26th: at Virginia Tech

Friday, November 3rd: BOSTON COLLEGE

Saturday, November 11th: Pittsburgh (at Yankee Stadium)

Saturday, November 18th: at Georgia Tech

Saturday, November 25th: WAKE FOREST

EASIEST GAME

The answer here is pretty simple. It is the season opener against Colgate. No disrespect intended, but that is usually the case for FBS teams when they face FCS squads. Syracuse should win this game rather easily as an almost exhibition game leading into the rest of its non-conference schedule.

TOUGHEST STRETCH

The four game stretch from September 30th to October 26th is brutal. Syracuse faces the three top teams in the ACC in Clemson, North Carolina and Florida State in back to back to back weeks with two on the road. Following a bye week, the Orange then stays on the road to face Virginia Tech. Those first three are all extremely difficult games against very talented opponents that believe they have a legitimate shot to win the conference. If Syracuse can get at least one win in that four game stretch and remain healthy afterwards, that should be enough to keep itself afloat for the rest of the season.

SWING GAMES

There are two swing games for Syracuse in this schedule. The first is at Purdue. The Boilermakers have a new coaching staff and lost several key players from last years squad including their starting quarterback who is now with the Las Vegas Raiders. That is the third of four non-conference games. A win there means the Orange is likely 4-0 heading into conference play. A loss puts Syracuse at 3-1 at best with the realistic scenario of sitting at 3-5 after that brutal four game stretch. A win is needed to give Syracuse some wiggle room.

The second is at Virginia Tech. If Syracuse loses to Clemson, North Carolina and Florida State, it will be sitting at 4-3 or 3-4 in the most likely scenarios. In either case, the Virginia Tech game looms large. At 4-3 after three straight losses, a win against an opponent that is a step or two down from the other three will get the Orange back on track and just one win from bowl eligibility with four winnable games left on the schedule. A loss puts Syracuse at 4-4, on a four game losing streak and a huge blow to the team's confidence. Similarly, at 3-4, a win is needed to snap the losing streak, get back to 4-4 and get the Orange back on track. Falling to 3-5 there would be a borderline disaster.

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Published Aug 27, 2023

MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting. EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans. After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years. Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports. Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.