Syracuse football opens its 2026 season Saturday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome, and the opponent is a familiar kind of early test even if the name is brand new to the Orange. New Hampshire, an FCS program out of the Coastal Athletic Association, comes to town for a noon EST kickoff on Sept. 5, with the game set for the ACC Network.
It’s the first meeting between Syracuse and New Hampshire, and the Wildcats arrive with one game already under their belts. They opened their 2026 season last Friday night and fell on the road to Albany, 28-14. New Hampshire finished last season 8-5 overall and 4-4 in league play before dropping in the first round of the FCS playoffs.
The betting line reflects the mismatch. FanDuel listed Syracuse as a 34.5-point favorite, with the over/under sitting at 57.5 points.
This is the first of three non-conference games for the Orange, who also travel to UConn and host No. 4 Notre Dame. Syracuse will also play nine Atlantic Coast Conference games this season.
Fran Brown is heading into his third year as Syracuse’s head coach, and the pressure points around this team are easy to spot. The Orange went 10-3 in 2024 and finished No. 20 in the final Associated Press top 25. Last season started well enough at 3-1, capped by a road win at Clemson, but that game came with a major cost: starting quarterback Steve Angeli was injured, and Syracuse spiraled from there, losing eight in a row.
Angeli is back for 2026, and Brown has already said he is the starter to open the year. That matters, especially with a deeper quarterback room behind him than Syracuse had a year ago.
The Orange’s depth chart for the New Hampshire game is expected as early as Monday, and there will be plenty to watch beyond quarterback, with a roster full of new faces and a number of new assistants in the program as well.
Syracuse was picked No. 14 in the ACC’s preseason media poll, and the path ahead is not soft. Still, if Angeli stays healthy, the defense is improved and the roster holds together, the Orange have a realistic shot at reaching a bowl game for the second time in Brown’s tenure.
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Kyle McCord Lands In A Dolphins Quarterback Room Suddenly In Flux
Following the NFLs roster cut deadline, the Dolphins reshaped their quarterback room in a hurry, and Syracuse fans have another name to track in the shuffle. Miami traded for Packers quarterback Jordan McCord, adding him for a 2028 sixth-round pick, then moved Quinn Ewers to Jacksonville for the same draft pick and waived Cam Miller as it trimmed down for the season.
The result is a room in flux, with Malik Willis set to start and McCord now the only other veteran quarterback on the roster. Miami may still add young passers to the practice squad, but for now the depth chart has been narrowed quickly, leaving McCord in a much more central role than he would have had just days ago. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuse Is Making An Early Impression On A Quarterback To Watch
Kaden Copelins first college football offer came from Syracuse in May, and the Orange have not let the moment fade. The 2028 quarterback from The Woodlands High School in Texas followed that up with a June visit to campus, where he met the coaching staff and got a closer look at the program. Since then, Syracuse has stayed in contact, with quarterbacks coach Sean Ryan and Charlie Brewer keeping the conversation going as Copelin works through an early recruiting process that is still wide open.
Copelin already has an offer from SMU and is weighing other programs such as Houston and Texas Tech, but Syracuse has clearly made an impression at a stage when feel and fit matter as much as anything. For a young quarterback trying to line up athletic and academic goals, the Orange have given him an early reason to pay attention, and that is often how relationships in this part of the recruiting cycle start to build real momentum. [Read more 🡒]
Which Former Syracuse Players Survived NFL Roster Cuts And Matter Now
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The bigger question is not simply who survived cutdown day, but how these players fit once the games start for real. Their contract situations and projected roles give each one a different kind of stake heading into the 2026-27 season, and for Syracuse followers, it is a reminder that the program still has NFL ties worth watching beyond the draft weekend spotlight. [Read more 🡒]