Syracuse heads to Raleigh on Saturday looking to keep its two-game streak alive, and for the first time in a while the Orange will do it as the favorite. Syracuse is laying 2.5 points at NC State, according to Fanduel’s odds, when the teams meet at Carter-Finley Stadium at noon on November 14.
The matchup will be carried on the ACC Network and WatchESPN.
These programs have built a long history, one that started back in 1972 when Lou Holtz’s NC State team handled Syracuse 43-20 at then-Carter Stadium. That Wolfpack squad finished 8-3-1 and went on to beat West Virginia in the Peach Bowl, while Syracuse wrapped up that season at 5-6.
Syracuse also owns the most recent result in the series. In 2024, Kyle McCord - now the starting quarterback for the New Miami Dolphins - threw his sixth straight 300-yard game for the Orange in a 24-17 win in Raleigh. Umari Hatcher was on the receiving end of one of McCord’s two touchdown passes.
The Orange enter at 4-5 overall and 2-5 in conference play, while NC State sits at 4-5 and 2-4. Syracuse is coached by Fran Brown, who is in his third year and 17-17 overall. NC State is being led by interim coach Todd Goebbel, who is 1-1 since taking over.
Goebbel’s path to the job runs through a long special teams background. He played quarterback at Kent State and Northern Iowa, began coaching at the Division III and Division II levels, and landed his first Division I role as a defensive quality control coach at Ohio State.
Most of his career was spent at Marshall, where he served as special teams coordinator in two separate stints totaling nine years. Dave Dorean brought him to NC State after the Wolfpack faced Marshall in 2017 and 2018, and Goebbel has been with the program since 2019.
He was elevated to interim head coach after Dorean was fired on October 24, 2026.
NC State’s last outing was a rough one. Duke rolled to a 41-3 win, fueled by Nate Sheppard’s 217 rushing yards and a kick six by the Blue Devils just before halftime.
There was one bright note tucked into that loss: NC State’s punting situation. With Goebbel now running the show, it makes sense that the Wolfpack’s punter is on the Ray Guy watch list. Jackson Waller was added and is averaging 42.8 yards per punt.
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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 🡒]
Syracuse Heads Into A Must-Have Road Test With Bowl Pressure Rising
Syracuses two-game winning streak came to a halt against Clemson, and now the Orange are staring at a road game that carries real weight for their postseason hopes. The next stop is NC State, a program in the middle of its own reset after firing head coach Dave Doeren, which adds another layer of uncertainty to a matchup Syracuse cant afford to treat lightly.
With bowl eligibility still hanging in the balance, Syracuse needs two wins in its final three games, so every snap from here on out matters a little more. The matchup has drawn plenty of attention from beat writers weighing how the Orange might respond, and whether this is the kind of spot where they can steady themselves before the seasons pressure really tightens. [Read more 🡒]