Syracuse Football: Orange has feasible, reasonable path to 8 or 9 victories

Unless things completely unravel, I feel pretty confident in stating that Syracuse football is going to make a bowl game this season, which would give the Orange back-to-back bowl appearances, an encouraging sign for the program.

The ‘Cuse sits at 4-0, with a brutal three-game stretch coming up. Over those three contests, as Syracuse football enters Atlantic Coast Conference competition, the Orange will host Clemson then go on the road to battle top-20 North Carolina and then top-five Florida State.

A stanza ago, the ‘Cuse raced out to a 6-0 start, only to falter a bit down the stretch. The team would finish at 7-6 overall in 2022, including a loss in its bowl game.

In the current term, I don’t necessarily think the Orange is going to get to 6-0, but based on the 2023 docket, I also don’t believe Syracuse football is going to go 1-6 over its final seven encounters.

In fact, and I always acknowledge my bias as a ‘Cuse alumnus, but I truly envision a reasonable path for the Orange to reach eight or even nine regular-season triumphs before a post-season contest.

Let’s see how Syracuse football can collect eight or more wins in the 2023 regular term.

At 4-0, the ‘Cuse can go .500 over the final eight regular-season games to get to 8-4. If it can muster up a 5-3 mark the rest of the way, the Orange will be 9-3. This is all speculation, but I candidly don’t foresee Syracuse football having any fewer than seven regular-season conquests (there, I just jinxed the season).

For the rest of the 2023 regular season, the ‘Cuse has three home games, four road games and one neutral-site affair. Its remaining foes have a combined 18-14 overall record. Only two of its remaining opponents are presently in the top-25 polls.

I’m not saying the Orange is going to run the table. And its next three encounters will be telling, as the team faces the Tigers, the Tar Heels and the Seminoles. However, if the ‘Cuse can go just 1-2 in those three games, that would be huge.

After that, the Orange has Virginia Tech, Boston College, Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech, before closing with Wake Forest. Of those five groups, only the Demon Deacons presently have a record above .500.

I’m not trying to be overly confident here. I’m attempting to be realistic. I like where Syracuse football resides. See below for my projected results for the Orange during the rest of the 2023 regular season. I usually get these sorts of predictions wrong, but maybe, for once, that won’t prove the case.

Saturday, Sept. 30
vs. Clemson
Current record: 2-2
My prediction: Loss

Saturday, Oct. 7
at No. 15 North Carolina
Current record: 4-0
My prediction: Loss

Saturday, Oct. 14
at No. 5 Florida State
Current record: 4-0
My prediction: Loss

Thursday, Oct. 26
at Virginia Tech
Current record: 1-3
My prediction: Win

Friday, Nov. 3
vs. Boston College
Current record: 1-3
My prediction: Win

Saturday, Nov. 11
vs. Pittsburgh (ACC) in New York City
Current record: 1-3
My prediction: Win

Saturday, Nov. 18
at Georgia Tech
Current record: 2-2
My prediction: Win

Saturday, Nov. 25
vs. Wake Forest
Current record: 3-1
My prediction: Win