Syracuse heads to NC State with its bowl hopes hanging in the balance, and the timing could hardly be better for the Orange. After Saturday’s clunky loss to Clemson snapped a two-game winning streak, Syracuse gets a softer landing spot against a Wolfpack team that just fired Dave Doeren after 14 seasons and is sitting on the same underwhelming ACC record.
With three games left, the math is simple for Syracuse: win two, and bowl eligibility is secured. NC State and Boston College look like the best chances before the season closes against No.
3 Notre Dame. That backdrop has the beat writers leaning toward an Orange rebound in Raleigh.
Noah Nussbaum sees Syracuse getting just enough done to survive. He called NC State “extremely mid” and pointed to the Wolfpack’s shaky stretch, including a 31-28 loss to Stanford and a 38-point defeat to Duke.
He also noted Syracuse’s edge in areas like pass rush, Umari Hatcher’s breakout and a deep running back room, while acknowledging the Orange’s red-zone issues could still cause trouble. His pick: Syracuse 28, NC State 27.
Nicholas Alumkal is expecting a tighter, lower-scoring win for the Orange. He said NC State has “emanated a miasma of futility” since the coaching change and cited the Wolfpack’s 41-3 loss to Duke as another sign of the slide.
On Syracuse’s side, he focused on quarterback play, saying Angeli had his worst completion percentage as a starter against Clemson at 45% and needs a cleaner outing to get Hatcher involved. He also pointed to NC State’s struggles against the run, with Duke piling up 238 yards, while Syracuse has had a back top 100 yards in five of its last six games.
His call: Syracuse 24, NC State 21.
Harris Pemberton is also backing the Orange to respond. He wrote that Syracuse’s defense held Clemson without a touchdown but still came away empty, and he said the game again showed how much the offense depends on Angeli.
Pemberton noted that Angeli took the blame after throwing two turnovers and said he cannot repeat that performance if Syracuse wants to win. Still, he sees a team that has found ways to steady itself when the season has threatened to tilt the wrong direction, pointing to the overtime win over UConn and the one-point escape against North Carolina.
His prediction: Syracuse 27, NC State 20.
In Other News...
Syracuse Walks Into An ACC Spot That Could Shift Everything
Syracuse heads into Saturdays trip to Raleigh with a chance to make a real statement in the ACC race, and the betting market has noticed. The Orange are listed as 2.5-point favorites over NC State at Carter-Finley Stadium, a sign that this matchup is being viewed as closer to a prove-it game than a routine conference road test.
NC State will have a different look on the sideline, too, with interim head coach Todd Goebbel taking over after Dave Dorean was fired on Oct. 24, 2026. That kind of midseason change can bring a jolt of urgency, and it adds another layer to a game Syracuse would like to control before the noise in Raleigh has a chance to take over. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Got Standout Performances But One Bigger Problem Remains
Syracuse got several encouraging individual efforts in its 18-13 loss to Clemson, but the overall result still came down to the kind of details that have haunted the Orange at times this season. Third-down execution and defense shaped the game, and while players like cornerback Davien Kerr, tight end Daunte Bacheyie, left tackle Trevion Mack and running back Ahmad Miller all turned in strong showings, the offense could not turn enough of that production into points.
The frustration is that the pieces were there for Syracuse to make the game more competitive, even if the final margin stayed tight. Instead, the Orange are left with a familiar and urgent task: they need two wins in their final three games to reach bowl eligibility, and there is little margin left for wasted opportunities. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Fans Have A Few New NFL Performances To Notice
A fresh batch of former Syracuse players made their mark around the NFL in Week 9, giving Orange fans a few more pro performances to track as the season rolls on. Garrett Williams was on special teams for the Arizona Cardinals, Matthew Bergeron continued his run with the Atlanta Falcons, and Andre Szmyt handled field goal duties for the Cleveland Browns, part of a broader weekly snapshot that shows how many Syracuse alumni are still finding ways onto the field.
For a program that prides itself on developing pros, these updates matter because they show more than just roster survival. Some former Orange standouts are carving out roles on special teams, others are holding down spots in regular game action, and a few are still working through the weekly churn that comes with life in the league. The latest round of appearances offers another reminder that Syracuses NFL footprint is spread across multiple teams, with more names worth watching as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]