The Syracuse Orange are back in the bowl picture after two straight wins, and the latest projections have them popping up in a few different places.
Syracuse sits at 4-4 with four games left, needing two more wins to return to bowl eligibility. That recent surge has been enough to get the Orange back into the conversation across multiple outlets.
ESPN.com has two different paths for Syracuse. Kyle Bonagura projects Syracuse against Marshall in the TransPerfect San Juan Bowl on Wednesday, December 16 at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with a 7:30 p.m.
ET kickoff listed as TBD. Mark Schlabach, meanwhile, has Syracuse facing Minnesota in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl on Friday, December 18 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, with a 2:30 p.m. start on ESPN.
On3’s Brett McMurphy also puts Syracuse in the TransPerfect San Juan Bowl, but with Georgia Southern as the opponent.
CBS Sports has the Orange headed somewhere else entirely. Its projection has Syracuse meeting Auburn in the JLab Birmingham Bowl on Tuesday, December 29 at Protective Stadium in Birmingham, Alabama, with a 2:00 p.m. kickoff on ESPN.
That matchup would be a callback to the infamous Tie Dye Sugar Bowl game, and also a callback to the birth of Troy Nunes is An Absolute Magician.
CBS notes that Auburn remains in this week’s bowl projections even after evening its record at 4-4, despite a blowout loss at Ole Miss. Mississippi State drops out after losing quarterback Kamario Taylor for the season. CBS adds that if the Bulldogs do not beat Vanderbilt in Week 10, a five-win season looks likely despite a 4-0 start and a top-20 ranking.
Syracuse is in the mix for the first time after its upset of SMU inside the Carrier Dome. Fran Brown’s team has started to find something over the last two weeks, following the overtime win over North Carolina with the victory over SMU.
On3 still has Syracuse on the outside looking in elsewhere, but says a win over Clemson this week would change that. A loss on Saturday would leave the Orange needing two ACC road wins, or an upset of Notre Dame, to get to six victories.
There is still a path for a 5-7 team to get invited if needed, and with APR rankings no longer in play, every five-win team is automatically eligible for selection.
In Other News...
Gerry McNamara Just Sent A Clear Message To Two Young Orange Pieces
Syracuse opened the season with a win over New Haven, and Gerry McNamara wasted little time using the game as a teaching moment for two of the Oranges younger pieces. Sophomore forward Sadiq White gave the staff the kind of production it wanted to see, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and McNamara pointed to that outing as the standard White is expected to meet as he settles into a bigger role.
Freshman point guard Ryan Moesch, meanwhile, got a far less encouraging review despite handing out 5 assists. McNamara made clear that the box score only told part of the story, and his comments served as a reminder that Syracuse is still sorting out how quickly its young guards can translate potential into consistent winning play. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Heads Into Clemson Week With One Big Concern Growing
With Clemson coming to town for homecoming, Syracuse is trying to turn a big Saturday into more than just another date on the calendar. Athletic director Brian Blair made it clear the Orange want a stronger showing in the stands, and the timing matters with a marquee opponent on the schedule and the program trying to build real momentum around its home atmosphere.
On the football side, Fran Brown spent part of the week sorting through personnel updates, including Malachi Nelsons ankle injury and the addition of Quinn Olcott to the roster. Brown also said Steve Angeli plans to return to college next season, while continuing to stress the kind of process-driven growth Syracuse has been leaning on as it heads into one of its biggest home games of the year. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse May Have Found The Rebounding Help It Desperately Needed
Syracuse got the kind of frontcourt effort it has been missing in a 74-58 win over New Haven, and it came from an unexpected pair. Gavin Doty and Sadiq White each posted double-doubles, with Doty finishing with 14 points and 13 rebounds and White adding 14 points and 10 rebounds, a strong answer for a team that had been fighting through rebounding issues.
For Syracuse, the bigger takeaway is less about the final score than the way the Orange controlled the glass. If Doty and White can keep providing that kind of presence inside, it gives Syracuse a much-needed path to steadier play in the games ahead, and a reason to think the rebounding problem may finally have a solution taking shape. [Read more 🡒]