Syracuse heads to Charlottesville on Saturday night looking to dig out of an early hole, and the betting market hasn’t been especially kind to the Orange along the way. They opened as 6.5-point underdogs against Virginia, but Fanduel’s number has moved further against Syracuse and now sits at Orange +8.5.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 pm at Scott Stadium, with the game airing on ACC Network and WatchESPN.
The matchup arrives with Virginia holding the edge in the standings at 3-2 overall and 1-1 in ACC play, while Syracuse comes in at 2-2 and 0-2. The series has been even through six meetings, and the winner of the latest chapter will take a one-game lead in the rivalry. Syracuse has won the most recent matchup, a 22-20 escape in 2022, and the Orange also own the current streak at one.
That 2022 game had plenty of drama. Syracuse jumped out to a 16-0 halftime lead, then watched Virginia claw all the way back to a 20-19 advantage with 5:51 left. Andre Szmyt settled it with 1:14 remaining, drilling his fifth field goal of the day to lift the Orange to the two-point win.
The first meeting between the teams came in November of 1975, when Syracuse went down to Charlottesville and rolled to a 37-0 victory.
On the sidelines, it’s Fran Brown for Syracuse and Tony Elliot for Virginia. Brown is in his third year and carries a 15-14 record, while Elliot is in his fifth year and stands at 25-28.
Elliot’s path to the Virginia job has been a long one. He walked on at Clemson as a wide receiver, began coaching a couple of years after his playing career ended, and worked at South Carolina State and Furman as a wide receivers coach before returning to Clemson in 2011 as running backs coach.
He later became co-offensive coordinator in 2015 and served as the Tigers’ primary offensive play caller through both of their national championship seasons in 2016 and 2018. He took over at Virginia in 2022 after Bronco Mendenhall’s sudden and shocking leave from the program.
Virginia’s 2024 season was its best under Elliot, as the Cavaliers finished with a winning record for the first time under his watch. They beat No. 8 Florida State twice, went 10-2 in the regular season, reached the ACC Championship, lost to Duke in overtime, and then finished by beating Missouri in the Gator Bowl.
Last week, though, Virginia ran into a wall against Florida State. Ashton Daniels did the damage on the ground, rushing for five touchdowns - a Seminoles record for a quarterback in a single game - in a 38-7 loss for the Cavaliers.
Virginia’s offensive line also carries some preseason recognition. Tackle McKale Boley and guard Noah Josey were named to the All-ACC preseason team, and tackle Monroe Mills is listed as the highest-rated starter on the roster by PFF with an 89.6 offensive grade.
As for the stakes? The source puts it plainly: if Syracuse wins, the season might be saved. If the Orange lose, there’s at least one group that may prefer they stay away from Scott Stadium for a while.
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