Syracuse Football: Experts forecasting Orange to variety of bowl games

I’m highly confident that Syracuse football is going to make a bowl game at the end of the 2023 season, which would make it two years in a row that the Orange got to the post-season.

Crud. I just jinxed the entire season. Sorry to my fellow ‘Cuse fans.

All kidding aside, Syracuse football will host Clemson this coming Saturday to begin Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Orange went 4-0 during the non-conference docket, meaning it needs only two more victories the rest of the way to get to a half-dozen wins and qualify for a bowl game.

ESPN’s football power index (“FPI”), to that end, currently gives the ‘Cuse a 99.7 percent chance to win at least six games in the 2023 stanza.

So the Orange would really have to back-slide to not make a second-consecutive bowl game, but in all fairness, Syracuse football does have a brutal three-contest stretch coming up, with Clemson first and then back-to-back road encounters versus North Carolina and Florida State.

Let’s look at some bowl predictions for Syracuse football.

Jerry Palm of CBS Sports projects that the Orange will face Pac-12 Conference member Washington State at the Holiday Bowl on December 27 in San Diego.

Washington State presently sits at 4-0 and is ranked No. 16 nationally in the latest Associated Press top-25 poll.

Brett McMurphy of Action Network has the ‘Cuse battling Pac-12 team Oregon State at the Sun Bowl on December 29 in El Paso, Texas.

Oregon State has tallied a 3-1 overall record thus far in the 2023 stanza, and the Beavers are rated No. 19 in the most recent AP top-25 poll.

Also, Steven Lassan of Athlon Sports is predicting Syracuse football to go toe to toe with Southeastern Conference group Ole Miss at the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on December 27 in Charlotte, N.C.

Ole Miss has a 3-1 mark to date in the 2023 term, and the Rebels reside at No. 20 nationwide in this week’s AP top-25 poll.

Putting aside the College Football Playoff for a second, there are a bunch of bowl games that have ties to the ACC, including the Orange Bowl in Miami, the ReliaQuest Bowl in Tampa, Fla., the Gator Bowl in Jacksonville, Fla., the Pop-Tarts Bowl in Orlando, Fla., the Pinstripe Bowl in New York City, the Fenway Bowl in Boston, and the Military Bowl in Annapolis, Md.