Ahead of the 2025 season, numerous observers in the Atlantic Coast Conference and on a national scale are forecasting Syracuse football to win fewer than six games and not make a post-season bowl for the fourth consecutive term.
To that, I say, whatever. That's why the games are played on the field.
Still, I get the sentiment. The 'Cuse lost a lot of key players on both offense and defense, and on paper, the team's 2025 docket looks super tough. Sure, I've got Orange-colored glasses on in support of my alma mater, but I think that Syracuse football goes 7-5, at a minimum, in the upcoming campaign.
I readily acknowledge that bowl projections at this juncture are sort of silly, but they're also fun to debate. CBS Sports recently updated its predictions for the 2025 bowl line-up and 12-team College Football Playoff, and the 'Cuse is included.
Yay.
Syracuse football is forecast to play in a 2025 bowl game.
CBS Sports has the Orange suiting up in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, which will take place on December 31 in El Paso, Texas. Syracuse football is projected to face off against Pac-12 Conference member Washington State.
Sound familiar? In late December of 2024, at the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, the 'Cuse notched its 10th win of last season by knocking off Washington State, 52-35. That led Syracuse football to end 2024 at 10-3 overall and attain a No. 20 national ranking in the final Associated Press top-25 poll, a terrific head-coaching debut for Fran Brown on the Hill.
Now, do I want to see the Orange have a repeat game versus the Cougars? Not necessarily. Although with the 'Cuse 2025 calendar, I think it would be fabulous if Syracuse football can muster up enough wins to quality for a bowl game.
Then again, we all know that Brown won't be satisfied with just getting to a half-dozen successes. He fully expects his program to compete for an ACC title and a berth in the CFP, even if prognosticators doubt that the Orange can do either.
Of course, I want to see my alma mater get to double-digit wins again in 2024. But even if that doesn't transpire, it would be great to see the 'Cuse get to a bowl. It's important for recruiting and fund-raising efforts, as well as continuing to build up momentum within the program.
I do have a fondness for the Pac-12 (love you, Bill Walton), which was decimated due to conference realignment. As part of that, former Pac-12 members California and Stanford, along with SMU, joined the ACC in the 2024-25 sports season.
The Pac-12 is slowly rebuilding, adding new members. A few days ago, the Pac-12 and CBS Sports announced that they had extended their media rights partnership through the 2030-31 season, and this deal is centered around broadcasting football and men's basketball games.
I was pleased to see that news.