CBS Sports is already putting Syracuse football in a tough spot for 2026.
Over the weekend, analyst Brad Crawford rolled out his game-by-game ACC projections, and his read on the Orange is blunt: another long year, another finish that looks a lot like last season. Even with offseason optimism around quarterback Steve Angeli, Crawford doesn’t see Syracuse making much headway against what he described as a coast-to-coast league schedule.
His forecast has Syracuse opening with a win over New Hampshire on Saturday, Sept. 5, then dropping back-to-back games against California on Saturday, Sept. 12 and at Pittsburgh on Thursday, Sept. 17.
The Orange are then projected to beat Connecticut on Saturday, October 3 before the losses pile up again: at Virginia on Saturday, October 10, against Louisville on Saturday, October 17, at North Carolina on Saturday, October 24, against SMU on Saturday, October 31, against Clemson on Saturday, November 7, and at NC State on Saturday, November 14. Crawford has Syracuse finishing with a win at Boston College on Saturday, November 21, before closing with a loss to Notre Dame on Saturday, November 28.
That would leave Syracuse at 3-9 overall, 1-8 in ACC play, and out of bowl contention for a second straight season.
Crawford explained his thinking this way:
“Fran Brown has never shied away from outside noise, and there’s plenty of it surrounding Syracuse this season, or the lack thereof. After exceeding expectations early in his tenure, skeptics believe the Orange are due for another step back after last year’s 3-9 collapse.
That kind of doubt should serve as fuel for Brown, whose confidence and recruiting success have already changed the program’s perception. The Orange must figure out early who they want to be on both sides of the football since the league slate is unrelenting.”
The projection is a pretty harsh one for a Syracuse team that, on paper, may be better positioned than it was a year ago. Last season’s biggest concern was the road-heavy nature of the schedule, and the Orange did answer early with a road win over Clemson. But injuries eventually caught up to them, and the momentum never really returned.
This time around, the setup looks different. More of Syracuse’s biggest games are at home, which gives the Orange a cleaner path than they had a season ago. If Angeli can build on the flashes he showed early last year and deliver steadier play, Syracuse has a chance to beat expectations and stack up more wins than the outside projections suggest.
For now, though, the skepticism is loud. Syracuse will get a chance to answer it on the field.
In Other News...
Kiyan Anthony Opened Up About His Emotional Adrian Autry Goodbye
Syracuses frustrating 2025-26 season ended with a 15-17 record and six straight losses, and the final blow came in the ACC tournament against SMU. The next morning, the university moved on from Adrian Autry, closing out a tenure that had plenty of pressure attached to it long before the last game was over. For Kiyan Anthony, the change landed with the kind of emotion that usually follows a season spent around a coach every day, not just the kind of news cycle that follows a bad finish.
Anthony said he had a real relationship with Autry and spent the season getting a closer look at what the job demanded, even through the rough patches. He also addressed the benching at Virginia, saying Autry framed it as a basketball decision rather than a punishment, which gives a little more context to how the year unfolded behind the scenes. With Syracuse now heading into a new era, Anthonys perspective is one more reminder that the end of a coachs run is never only about wins and losses. [Read more 🡒]
Fran Browns Biggest Syracuse Fix Is About To Be Tested
Syracuse spent last season getting shoved around on defense, and the numbers told the story. Opponents averaged 5.27 yards per carry and 6.5 yards per play, a rough backdrop for a program trying to reset its identity, which is why Fran Brown and his staff spent the offseason reworking that side of the ball with several new faces on the defensive staff.
One of the most important additions is Vince Kehres, brought in from Toledo to help reshape the unit with an emphasis on effort, tackling and teamwork. His previous defense was far sturdier than Syracuses was a year ago, and now the real test is how much of that can carry over once the Orange start sorting out the details in camp, from the corners role in supporting the run to whether the pass rush can be rebuilt with help from the transfer market. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Adds Another Overseas Guard As Backcourt Questions Keep Growing
Syracuses backcourt continues to take shape with another overseas addition, as the womens basketball program has signed French point guard Claine Ricco for the upcoming season. Ricco arrives with a steady international rsum and is in the middle of representing France at the under-20 EuroBasket Tournament, where she has remained part of the national team pipeline after previous runs with Frances under-18 and under-19 squads.
For Syracuse, the move fits an offseason that has leaned heavily on players with international ties while the roster still has room to grow. The Orange currently list 13 players, and with SMU transfer Tyi Skinner expected to be the lead option at point guard, Ricco looks like another piece in a backcourt picture that is still coming into focus. [Read more 🡒]