Syracuse Football: Beware of this 2024 trap game for 'Cuse, national writer says

In early October, Syracuse football will travel to Las Vegas to square off with Mountain West Conference member UNLV in what will be the first-ever meeting between the Orange and the Rebels.

This should prove a fun and intriguing non-conference encounter for the 'Cuse in Sin City. This contest will take place on Friday, Oct. 4, beginning at 9 pm EST from Allegiant Stadium, with television coverage on FS1.

From my perspective, the Orange's battle at UNLV, at least on paper, looks like the most challenging non-conference game for Syracuse football in the 2024 season, the first term under new head coach Fran Brown.

Carter Bahns, a national writer with 247Sports, recently published a piece where he discussed the biggest trap game in the 2024 season for every program in the Atlantic Coast Conference. For the 'Cuse, he listed that early October affair at UNLV.

Syracuse will have a tall task when it plays at UNLV this fall.

In the 2023 season, the Rebels went 9-5 overall and 6-2 in conference play. Similar to the Orange, UNLV played in a bowl game at the end of the last term, and similar to the 'Cuse, the Rebels fell in their bowl contest.

When SU Athletics announced that Syracuse football would face UNLV, Orange athletics director John Wildhack had this to say in the press release: "Adding UNLV provides our student-athletes with another strong non-conference opponent and an exciting venue for Orange fans to visit. t's been over a decade since we've played a game in the Pacific Time Zone. We look forward to seeing Syracuse fans and alumni from across the country have more opportunities to come and support their team with this game and the expansion of the ACC."

Beginning in the upcoming campaign, the ACC has add three new members in California, Stanford and SMU. As part of the Orange's 2024 docket, the team will also travel to the West Coast to play at Cal in mid-November.

Bahns, in his story for 247Sports, wrote in part about Syracuse football: "The Orange figure to be good enough right out of the gate in the Brown era to beat all of the teams it 'should' beat, but going all the way across the country to play one of last year's top Group of Five squads is a real test."

In January of this year, I did a super early projection of Syracuse football's record during the 2024 regular season. I had the 'Cuse knocking off UNLV in this forecast, but I agree with the 247Sports writer that it won't be easy for the Orange to pick off the Rebels on the road.

Brown's first game at the helm of the program will take place on Saturday, Aug. 31, versus non-conference foe Ohio. The kick-off is slated for 3:30 pm, with TV coverage on the ACC Network.