Syracuse Football: The path to a bowl invitation for the Orange
By Neil Adler
It will prove a massive challenge for Syracuse football to reach a post-season bowl, and we outline how the Orange gets there.
Assuming a 2020 fall season is played amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, Syracuse football knows which league teams it will do battle with as part of its 11-game schedule.
Within its 10-contest ACC line-up, the Orange will host Boston College, Duke, N.C. State, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech. Syracuse football, in a brutal road slate, will make trips to Clemson, Notre Dame, Louisville, North Carolina and Pittsburgh.
At this juncture, the first option for the ‘Cuse for its one non-conference duel is Liberty, although other alternatives could factor into the equation.
To reach a bowl berth, I imagine that Syracuse football will have to go 6-5, as teams that want to play in the post-season usually have to sport a record that is above the .500 mark.
Should the Orange welcome Liberty to the Hill, chalk that up as a win. The ‘Cuse would then have to go 5-5 in its ACC encounters to qualify for a bowl.
The easiest way to simplify this is to say that Syracuse football has to go undefeated inside the Carrier Dome, given the possibility that its five tilts away from the Dome are all tough and could very well result in losses.
But as far as the Orange having a 5-0 home record and an 0-5 road mark, I’m not seeing it. For one, Syracuse football will likely slip up at least once on the Hill. And the ‘Cuse will potentially do a SU-type thing and notch some crazy awesome upset on the road.
I’m not much into betting, and the odds for the Orange to claim the ACC championship are sub-par, although I foresee Syracuse football as the favorite in the bulk of its home affairs.
My gut tells me that the ‘Cuse will take care of business against Duke, N.C. State and Georgia Tech. Boston College isn’t supposed to prove great in 2020, but the Eagles have given the Orange a hard time in the past.
Ultimately, if Syracuse football can grab those first three games mentioned, and split with BC and Wake Forest, then the ‘Cuse has a solid 4-1 home performance.
Now comes the tricky part – that is, picking up a conquest outside of Central New York. Unless something weird transpires, the Orange isn’t beating Clemson, Notre Dame or North Carolina. That leaves either Louisville or Pittsburgh.
Louisville is probably going to prove a top-six ACC squad, while Pitt is also projected in the league’s top eight or so. If Syracuse football can defeat the Cardinals or the Panthers – with Pittsburgh the better bet, by my estimation – then the ‘Cuse will have a 1-4 road mark, a 5-5 conference record, a 6-5 overall mark, and a bowl bid within its sights.