The sting of Syracuse’s 21-18 loss to California on Saturday goes beyond a single bad night in the JMA Wireless Dome. The Orange are now 1-1 overall and 0-1 in ACC play, and the bigger question is whether a game like that - one of the swing games on the schedule - changes the shape of the season.
On paper, Syracuse still has a path. It’s just a narrow one.
The toughest stretch left is hard to miss: Notre Dame, SMU, Louisville and Virginia. All four were nationally ranked entering Week 3, and Notre Dame is viewed by some as the best team in the country.
SMU, Virginia and Louisville are all teams with a real shot to win the ACC. Syracuse is likely to be a double-digit underdog in each of those matchups.
The more reachable games are less clear than they looked in August. Boston College and North Carolina once appeared to be the most manageable spots on the calendar, but both teams have opened the season strongly.
Boston College is 1-1 after a loss to Cincinnati and a win over Rutgers. North Carolina is 2-0 and has already beaten TCU under legendary head coach Bill Belichick.
That leaves the rest of the slate as a must-hold zone: at Pittsburgh, at UConn, against Clemson and at NC State. Syracuse will need to win all of those and then grab one of the games that looked easier earlier in the year to get to six wins. The Orange did not play NC State last season, lost to Pittsburgh, and beat Clemson and UConn.
Thursday night’s trip to Pittsburgh already looks like a major hurdle. Syracuse enters that game as a 10-point underdog, and it comes with a fast turnaround after the Cal loss. It will also be the Orange’s first road test of the season.
For now, the setback hasn’t moved the market much. Most sportsbooks still have Syracuse’s win total at 4.5, so the Cal result didn’t dramatically alter the overall outlook. Even so, it did make the climb to six wins tougher.
That number matters because six wins and a .500 record are what get a team into bowl season. For Syracuse, that would count as a meaningful step. A College Football Playoff run remains the ultimate goal, but a bowl game still carries weight for this program.
And for the Orange, it hasn’t been common enough. A 6-6 or better regular season would be only the 10th time in the last 25 years.
Paul Pasqualoni was the last Syracuse coach to string together three bowl appearances, doing it in 2004. Fran Brown is trying to guide the Orange to a second bowl game, after Syracuse also reached one in 2024.
The next chance to start repairing the season comes Thursday night against Pitt, with kickoff set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
Syracuse Heads To Pitt With One Lineup Call Fans Will Notice
After opening the 2026 season with a win over New Hampshire and a loss to California, Syracuse is heading into its third game with another reminder of how thin the margins can be early in the year. Fran Browns team now turns to Pittsburgh, where the Orange have not won in 25 years, and the projected depth chart for this one offers the first real look at how the staff is sorting through roles on offense, defense and special teams.
One lineup call is likely to draw the most attention because it speaks to where Syracuse sees its best options right now, especially with the schedule starting to sharpen. Depth charts are never final, but this one gives a pretty good sense of who the Orange trust heading into a road game that has carried extra weight for a long time. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Just Got Another Reminder Of How Far The Program Has Fallen
Syracuses slide has become hard to ignore, and the latest reminder came through ESPNs Big Monday plans for the upcoming season. With the Orange not included in the networks marquee broadcast lineup, it is another sign of how far the program has drifted from the national spotlight while it works to snap a five-season NCAA Tournament drought and avoid another spring on the outside looking in.
Gerry McNamara is trying to change that trajectory in his first year at the controls, leaning on transfer additions as he reshapes the roster and pushes toward a stronger foundation. The bigger goal is not just getting Syracuse back into the field next season, but building something that looks more like a threat again by 2026-27, when the program will be judged on whether it can climb back into the games and conversations it used to command. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Heads Into Practice With A Troubling Garwey Dual Question
Garwey Duals status has become one of the early storylines as Syracuse gets ready to open practice for the new season. The transfer guard is still working back from an offseason collarbone injury and has not yet been cleared for full contact, leaving the Orange to take a careful look at how he fits as the team ramps up toward exhibition play in mid-October.
For Syracuse, the concern is less about one players availability than how the guard rotation takes shape if Dual needs more time. Gavin Doty and Aiden Tobiason are also in the mix as the staff evaluates options at the position, making the next stretch of practice an important one for sorting out roles before the season starts to take form. [Read more 🡒]