Syracuse Football: Keys to a three-peat versus Western Michigan

On September 26, Syracuse football will travel to Western Michigan for a matchup against the Broncos. Here’s now the Orange can come away with a win.

Ahh, Syracuse football and Western Michigan. One of the greatest rivalries in college football hist…

Okay, well not quite. But for the third straight season, the two teams will face off in a non-conference battle, pitting the ACC against the MAC.

To be fair, the Broncos’ coaching staff does have ties to Syracuse, as Western Michigan Head Coach Tim Lester was once the offensive coordinator for the Orange. Clearly, there’s been no bad blood – and quite the opposite really – as the two sides have created a recent partnership, playing every year since 2018.

‘Cuse will look to make it three consecutive wins against Western Michigan, as the Orange defeated the Broncos 55-42 in 2018, followed by a 52-33 win last season.

If anything can be counted on, it’s that scoring will be plentiful – so much so that the winning team may need to put up at least 40 points to feel safe.

The Broncos finished 7-6 last season, appearing in a bowl game for the second straight season. They’re set to lose three-year starter Jon Wassink, which in itself points to a potential rough start to the season for WMU. However, it’s a team that does return four of five starting offensive linemen from a year ago, perhaps leading to a more advanced run game, and comfort for the new starting quarterback.

For Syracuse, it will be all about the emergence of junior signal-caller Tommy DeVito. After a so-so 2019, DeVito’s expectations will be high for a better year in 2020. Last season, he had one of his better games against Western Michigan, throwing for nearly 300 yards and four touchdowns. However, in 2020, he needs those type of performances to be more consistent.

My early prediction is another high-scoring Syracuse football victory. DeVito proved to be more than spectacular the last time these two teams faced off, and with Wassink graduating, it really puts WMU in a tough position for the first month of the season. According to ‘The Juice’, QB Kaleb Eleby could be that guy for the Broncos, after he started four games in 2018. However, because of the unknowns surrounding their offense, it should be a victory for the ‘Cuse.