One of Syracuse football’s most eye-catching uniform reveals is set for Halloween weekend, when the Orange host SMU inside the JMA Wireless Dome on Saturday at noon ET.
The matchup brings in a ranked opponent, with the latest AP poll placing SMU at No. 19. Syracuse enters at 3-4 after a one-point thriller against North Carolina, a 31-30 win that ended an 11-game ACC losing streak and gave the Orange their first FBS victory against a non-UConn team in more than a calendar year.
The Mustangs are currently listed as 9.5-point favorites by most sportsbooks, though that number could keep shifting as the week goes on and injury updates come in closer to kickoff.
Saturday also gives Syracuse another Halloween home game. Last season, the Orange played at home on a Friday night Halloween and fell to North Carolina. This time, the kickoff comes before trick-or-treating, and attendance could be affected by the holiday.
But the bigger draw for plenty of fans will be the uniform reveal. Syracuse is set to debut a helmet design featuring Otto the Orange, and the school’s official X account made that clear on Monday with the message:
"Hall of Fame lids @TheOttoOrange We will debut helmets featuring our Hall of Fame mascot Otto for the FIRST TIME ever this Saturday, October 31st!"
The reaction online has been split. On X, one fan wrote, "Permanent. Easiest call of all time."
Another offered a much different take: "hope this is satire. Nothing says a strong, dominating, rugged football team like an orange smiling cartoon puff ball on their helmets."
Still, the look has appeal. Otto the Orange is one of the most recognizable mascots connected to the school, and putting him on the helmet gives Syracuse a design that fans will notice right away. Whether the Orange wear it again may come down to what happens on the field, and a win over SMU could make this Halloween look an easy one to bring back.
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