Syracuse’s ACC drought has stretched long enough that every conference game now feels like a test of endurance. The Orange are back at 0-4 in league play after losses to Virginia and Louisville, and now they head into a matchup with North Carolina carrying an 11-game ACC losing streak. One more defeat would match the longest such skid in program history.
There were reasons for hope in last week’s loss to Louisville, even if the final result never changed. Syracuse matched the Cardinals punch for punch in the first half behind third-string quarterback Malachi Nelson and his big connection with Umari Hatcher, who piled up 224 yards. The Orange also held Louisville to 115 rushing yards.
But the second half told the same frustrating story. Nelson turned it over three times after halftime, and Syracuse managed only three points in the back half on the way to another loss.
That’s the backdrop for a split in opinion among the beat writers on whether Syracuse can finally break through against North Carolina, which enters at 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the ACC.
Noah Nussbaum sees this as the moment for the Orange to finally finish one off. He picked Syracuse 24, North Carolina 21, calling it a “One play away” kind of game.
Nussbaum pointed to Brown’s comments after the Louisville loss, when he said SU had been one play from turning recent defeats into wins. He also noted that three of Syracuse’s four ACC losses have come by one score, unlike the blowouts the Orange suffered late last season.
North Carolina’s profile is part of why Nussbaum likes Syracuse’s chances. He wrote that the Tar Heels have one of the worst offenses in the conference, dead last in yards per game, while quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. has struggled with turnovers and cannot run. Even with Syracuse’s issues across the board - penalties, kicking, run defense, red zone offense - Nussbaum believes the Orange have shown enough fight against Virginia and Louisville to edge a lesser opponent.
Nicholas Alumkal took the opposite side, picking North Carolina 24, Syracuse 17. He framed the game around the “Wrong kind of history” Syracuse is approaching. The Orange have not won a conference game since Sept. 20, 2025, at Clemson, and another loss would tie the program’s worst ACC stretch, 12 straight conference defeats set between 2005 and 2006.
Alumkal argued Syracuse probably should not be in this spot based on how several of its ACC games have unfolded, but he still sees a flawed team that keeps making too many mistakes. He also pointed to Syracuse’s quarterback situation, with top three signal-callers all banged up and Amari Odom and Nelson ruled out Wednesday. If Danny Lauter starts, Alumkal noted, the Georgetown transfer will bring more experience than walk-on Joe Filardi, who started against the Tar Heels in 2025.
Even with that uncertainty, he expects Syracuse’s offense to show some life, especially with Hatcher in the mix, and the defense may do enough to slow down a manageable North Carolina attack. But he still believes the result will be more of the same: another loss, and the tying of that 12-game conference mark.
Harris Pemberton also stuck with the Tar Heels, taking North Carolina 28, Syracuse 23. He said he keeps landing on a Syracuse loss for the same reasons each week, because the Orange haven’t shown enough to justify a change.
Pemberton admitted the Louisville game was Syracuse’s most complete ACC performance yet and said doing that with a third-string quarterback was encouraging. He also highlighted Nelson’s strong first half, Hatcher’s production, and a run defense that, at points, held Isaac Brown to 11 rushing yards.
Still, Pemberton came back to the same problem: Syracuse found a way to lose again, blowing another double-digit lead to extend the ACC losing streak to 11. And with the quarterback situation still unsettled, he isn’t ready to buy in yet. For now, the glass remains half-empty.
In Other News...
Fran Brown's Future Suddenly Feels Like Syracuse's Biggest Story
Syracuses rough 2026 start has pushed Fran Browns long-term future into the spotlight at a time when the season is already slipping away. The Orange are 2-4 overall and still winless in ACC play, which leaves them buried at the bottom of the conference standings and searching for answers after a run of injuries and close losses has kept the offense and defense from finding any rhythm.
Bruce Feldmans assessment only added to the unease around the program, pointing to Browns job security as something that could hinge on how the rest of the year plays out under new athletic director Bryan Blair. Brown earned plenty of goodwill with his debut in 2024, but Syracuse now faces a much different conversation, one where the momentum of that first season has faded and the pressure to stabilize the program is suddenly impossible to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Suddenly Has A Quarterback Problem At The Worst Time
Syracuses quarterback room has gone from thin to shaky at exactly the wrong moment. The Orange head into their game against North Carolina without Amari Odom and Malachi Nelson because of injuries, while starter Steve Angeli is listed as questionable after suffering an Achilles injury. Odom is dealing with a shoulder issue, and Nelson was recently hurt in the leg, leaving the position group in a precarious spot as the team tries to get back on track.
The timing is especially harsh for a program already carrying plenty of pressure in ACC play. Syracuse has dropped 11 straight conference games dating back to last season, so every setback now feels magnified, and the quarterback uncertainty only adds another layer of difficulty. However the Orange sort through it, they will have to do it against a North Carolina team at a point in the schedule when stability matters most. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Heads To UNC With A Quarterback Problem It Cant Ignore
Syracuse is headed to North Carolina carrying a quarterback situation it can no longer treat as background noise. Amari Odom and Malachi Nelson are out for the game because of injuries, while Steve Angeli is listed as questionable for the third straight week, leaving the Orange to sort through a thin and unsettled depth chart at the most important position on the field.
If Angeli is unable to go, Georgetown transfer Danny Lauter is expected to get the start, a development that would put even more pressure on Syracuses offensive plans in a tricky road setting. The Orange are also monitoring linebacker Antoine Deslauriers and kicker Tripp Woody, both listed as questionable, so the injury report could shape more than just the quarterback decision by the time kickoff arrives. [Read more 🡒]