Syracuse is getting little respect from the oddsmakers heading into Saturday’s matchup with SMU, even after a comeback win that may have saved the Orange’s season.
FanDuel opened Syracuse as a 9.5-point underdog at home against the No. 19 Mustangs, a ranking that reflects how far SMU has climbed even as the Orange try to build off a much-needed breakthrough in Chapel Hill.
That win snapped an 11-game ACC losing streak stretching back to last season. Syracuse rallied at North Carolina and came away with a 31-30 overtime victory, with former five-star recruit Calvin Russell III delivering the finishing blow. He caught the game-winning touchdown and then secured the two-point conversion to seal it.
The Orange also got Steve Angeli back in the lineup for his first start since the Pitt game on September 17. He had been benched for Syracuse’s trip to UConn in favor of Amari Odom, then missed the next two games after getting a platelet-rich plasma injection for retrocalcaneal bursitis near the Achilles he had surgically repaired last year. Syracuse’s quarterback depth remains thin, with Odom out for the season after shoulder surgery and Malachi Nelson sidelined for a few more weeks following surgery for a high ankle sprain.
SMU arrives with its own momentum after a dominant second half against Cal. The Mustangs were down at halftime, then exploded for 42 unanswered points after the break and rolled to a 59-20 win.
This will be only the third meeting between Syracuse and SMU, and the Mustangs have taken both of the previous ones. Their first matchup came in Syracuse in 1932, when SMU won 16-6. The teams met again last year in Dallas in their first conference game against each other, and the Mustangs controlled that one as well, building a 28-point lead before finishing off a 31-18 win over the Orange.
Kickoff at the JMA Wireless Dome is set for Saturday, October 31, at 12:00 pm ET, with ESPN2 carrying the game. It will also mark the second straight Halloween game for Syracuse at the Dome. Last season, the Orange hosted UNC on Halloween and lost 27-10.
In Other News...
Syracuse May Be Building Something Real In South Jersey
Syracuse has been spending more time in South Jersey, and one of the latest prospects to notice is Elijah Campbell, a 2028 athlete from Williamstown High School in New Jersey. Campbell was on campus in October to watch a game and spend time with the coaching staff, a visit that gave him a closer look at a program that has made him feel wanted early in the process.
Campbell said Syracuse was the first school to offer him a scholarship, and he came away with a strong impression of the team and the coaches, especially defensive backs coach Charles Watkins. The versatile young player also pointed to Syracuses clear recruiting emphasis in South Jersey, which could make the Orange a more familiar name for area prospects as they sort through their options. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Has A Bigger SMU Challenge Brewing Inside The Dome
Fran Brown spent Monday afternoon trying to keep Syracuses focus on the bigger picture after the Oranges overtime win at North Carolina, and the next test waiting inside the Dome may be the kind that tells him plenty about where this team really stands. A ranked SMU squad is coming in, and Brown made it clear the atmosphere matters, urging fans to help turn the Dome into the sort of home-field advantage that can tilt a conference game.
Brown also said kicker Tripp Woody is healthy and available, which gives Syracuse a bit more clarity as it moves into another demanding stretch of league play. The coach sounded energized by the road win, but he also left no doubt that the grind is only getting tougher, with the Mustangs bringing a fresh challenge and another chance for the Orange to show it can handle the pressure that comes with conference football. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Is Back To Believing But One Problem Still Looms
Seven games into the 2026 season, Syracuse has given its fans enough whiplash to understand why belief has been so hard to sustain. The Orange have had to live with penalties, kicking issues, turnovers and even quarterback changes, all of which have made it tough to get a clean read on what this team really is. Still, the win over North Carolina offered something Syracuse has been chasing for much of the year: a little stability, and maybe the first real sign that the season is starting to tilt in a better direction.
Steve Angelis return as the starter has helped settle the most important position on the field, and the remaining schedule still leaves room for the Orange to turn this into something more than a survival story. But the same problems that have kept Syracuse from fully arriving are still hovering in the background, especially in the kicking game and with the penalties that continue to drag them into bad spots. The next stretch will say plenty about whether the North Carolina win was a turning point or just another brief pause in an uneven season. [Read more 🡒]