Syracuse Football: College GameDay coming to Hill is now highly unlikely

Syracuse football is off to a 4-0 start in the 2022 campaign, the Orange just entered the Coaches top-25 poll, and the team and its fan base would love for ESPN’s hugely popular College GameDay show to make its first appearance on the ‘Cuse campus this fall.

However, after College GameDay announced on social media where it is headed this coming weekend, my sense is that the Orange is probably on the outside looking in to get a visit from this fabulous show during the 2022 stanza, regardless of whether the ‘Cuse keeps piling up victories.

College GameDay said via Twitter that this upcoming weekend, on Saturday, Oct. 1, it will head to No. 5 Clemson, an undefeated Atlantic Coast Conference squad that is going to host another conference group with a perfect record to date in 2022, No. 10 N.C. State.

It makes complete sense for College GameDay to be on the Tigers campus for this ACC clash, since both teams are unblemished and ranked in the top 10 of the major polls.

This match-up, though, greatly hurts the chances of College GameDay visiting Syracuse football.

The Orange, sadly, is one of several Power Five programs that have never hosted College GameDay.

On October 1, Syracuse football will welcome FCS team Wagner (0-3) to the Hill. Assuming the Orange prevails here, the ‘Cuse will move to 5-0 with a bye week next up.

Then, on Saturday, Oct. 15, the Orange will entertain N.C. State at the JMA Wireless Dome. If the Wolfpack had entered that ACC collision undefeated, including an upset of Clemson two weeks earlier, maybe Syracuse football versus N.C. State would have been a serious contender for College GameDay on October 15.

But the ESPN flagship show, I assume, doesn’t usually like to have the same team on more than once in a single season, so College GameDay having N.C. State at Clemson on October 1 is a big-time bummer for the ‘Cuse and its fan base.

The only remaining home games for Syracuse football are on Saturday, Oct. 29, against Notre Dame and on Saturday, Nov. 12, versus Florida State.

The Fighting Irish was already a part of College GameDay when Notre Dame traveled to Ohio State in early September. And it’s entirely possible that both the Orange and the Seminoles will have suffered a few losses each by November 12, given their upcoming schedules.

Oh, well. There’s always 2023. It’s just sad to me, because Syracuse football is off to a wonderful beginning this term, and I know that Syracuse University students and the larger Orange fan base would show up and show out if and when College GameDay makes it to the Hill for a Syracuse football game.