Syracuse Football: Did the Orange Catch Notre Dame at the Right Time?

The Syracuse football team has a big test awaiting in Week 5. But can the Orange take advantage of a struggling Notre Dame team?

Outside of crazed fans with Otto tattooed on their face, no one thought Syracuse would defeat Louisville. And though Syracuse took a 17-0 lead against USF, the old adage of “the better team won” came to fruition. So, 1/3 of the way through the season we can surmise the Syracuse football team has reached its height of where we thought it could be at 2-2.

And now, there’s a different feeling emanating from this team. Winning does that — it sparks optimism. Couple that with what’s transpiring over in Notre Dame, where a disappointing 1-3 start for Syracuse’s next opponent has incited change. The Fighting Irish have parted ways with defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder. When a team makes moves like that this early, that reeks of panic.

"“When you are 1-3 everyone’s job is on the line,” head coach Brian Kelly said at his weekly presser."

So with all the turmoil, this might lead one to think Syracuse somehow is in prime position to steal one from the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame is a compromised team with a ton of distractions. And firings don’t usually happen on good teams, so obviously they’re not that good, right?

Not quite. Sure, they’ve underachieved. But this is still a talented group of individuals and now they’ll play with desperation.

"“They’re a really good team,” head coach Dino Babers said this week. “We’re going to get their best shot, there’s no doubt.”"

According to AP polls, Notre Dame was the 10th best team in the country prior to the season. Regardless of how much stock you put into this, Notre Dame still can reach the hype. And just because it hasn’t happened just yet doesn’t mean we should expect them to lay an egg against the Orange.

There’s no shame in losing a shootout on the road against what now is the 22nd best team in the Nation (Texas). Neither should there be in falling to Michigan St., who was No. 9 before dropping down to 22nd this past week. That loss to Duke at home was embarrassing, but that’s not necessarily a good sign for whoever has to play them next.

Usually teams respond with an elevated level of intensity following an egg on the face kind of game. That loss obviously didn’t sit well with the program, so now it’s time to seek revenge.

This isn’t to suggest that Syracuse has no chance of competing in this game, but this is going to be a difficult match-up. There will be a ton of scoring. Both teams have done well offensively. But we might get a shootout since both defenses have struggled immensely.

Babers understands how these things work. There’s no way that Syracuse goes into this game thinking ND would simply roll over. This is an excellent opportunity for SU to make a statement. Put pressure on the Fighting Irish early. Make them start doubting themselves and overthinking things. Help create that sense of doubt in their minds.

But even the Orange executes their game plan to the highest efficacy, this one is going to be a challenge. The Fighting Irish will come in hungry with a chip on their shoulder. Syracuse will need to match that intensity and catch a few breaks. Will that be enough? We shall see. But there’s one thing we do know. Notre Dame won’t simply acquiesce to a 1-4 record.