Well, last week I said that then-No. 18 Syracuse football hosting top-15 N.C. State was the most important game of the 2022 season to date for the Orange.
That may have been true, but after the ‘Cuse dispatched of the Wolfpack, buoyed by an impressive defense that held N.C. State to just a trio of field goals, Syracuse football enters week eight with another game-of-the-year moniker, at least in my book.
The Orange (6-0), which is up to No. 14 in the two major top-25 polls, will head to Death Valley this Saturday for a scheduled noon kick-off with No. 5 Clemson (7-0) on ABC.
While the ‘Cuse has enjoyed a ton of home contests to date in 2022, during the second half of its regular-season slate this fall, the Orange will suit up on the road in four of its final six encounters.
That all begins this Saturday, Oct. 22, at Memorial Stadium when it is homecoming for Clemson. I’d imagine that the Tigers will have a boisterous and loud crowd in Death Valley, as the only two remaining undefeated teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference go toe to toe.
Syracuse football will seek to stun No. 5 Clemson away from the Hill.
It’s true that the Tigers weren’t as good a season ago as they have proven in recent stanzas. And I say this knowing that Clemson amassed 10 victories in the 2021 term.
That goes to show you simply how dominant the Tigers have been over the past couple of years, oftentimes winning the ACC title, getting to the College Football Playoff and, twice in recent campaigns, capturing the national championship.
As strong as a program as Clemson is, we all remember how Syracuse football knocked off the No. 2 Tigers in the Dome during the 2017 term.
And in 2018, the Orange had the Tigers on the ropes away from Central New York, but No. 3 Clemson managed to escape at home with a 27-23 win.
Even more recently, in the 2021 stanza, Syracuse football fell just short of defeating the Tigers, falling on the Hill by three points, 17-14.
My point here is that, yes, Clemson is having a great 2022 season at this juncture, and it will take a herculean effort for the ‘Cuse to conquer the Tigers this coming Saturday afternoon.
But the last time that I checked, Syracuse football has exactly the same number of losses as Clemson – zero. This past Saturday afternoon, the Orange bested N.C. State by 15 points, and the Tigers defeated the Wolfpack a few weeks back, at home, by 10 points.
As we’ll get to in other columns this week, Clemson is a sizable betting favorite heading into this Saturday’s ACC clash versus Syracuse football.
However, Orange players, coaches and fans believe that the ‘Cuse has something special going on in 2022. A triumph over the Tigers is absolutely possible, and so is entering the top 10 of the major polls if Syracuse football can upset Clemson on Saturday.