Syracuse Football: ‘Cuse can contend for ACC’s top tier in 2024 season, experts say

Syracuse football, given its recent recruiting wins and a seemingly favorable schedule, is a program to watch in the Atlantic Coast Conference during the upcoming 2024 season, numerous national and ACC experts have lately said.

Since Fran Brown officially took over as the head coach of the Orange in early December, he’s built up a top-notch staff. The team has seen multiple of its best players from the 2023 term decide to return for another year, and we’ve documented on many occasions what the ‘Cuse has done with its 2024 recruiting class, both among high school seniors and college transfers.

The buzz in Central New York is undeniable. It’s an exciting time. Yet as I’ve noted, and other fans have opined, it remains to be seen what the Orange will do on the field in 2024, which will represent Brown’s first-ever stanza as a collegiate head coach.

Regardless, the chatter among ACC and national pundits continues to arrive. In recent days, I’ve come across a variety of encouraging sentiments from experts about the prospects for the ‘Cuse in the next season.

Pundits are optimistic about the 2024 campaign for Syracuse football.

Pete Nakos, a college sports business and transfer portal reporter at On3, noted a couple of teams that could compete for an ACC crown in 2024, mentioning the Orange, along with Florida State, Clemson and perhaps Miami.

In a recent story, several ESPN writers discussed a variety of topics on the 2024 college football season, including a squad that they are “most interested in seeing if it can take a big step forward.”

Mark Schlabach, in his write-up on this topic, talked about Syracuse football. He wrote in part, “The Orange don’t play ACC foes Clemson, Florida State or North Carolina during the regular season, and they play Virginia Tech, Miami, Stanford and Georgia Tech at home. There’s a chance for improvement in Brown's first season.”

Veteran ACC Network and ESPN play-by-play announcer Wes Durham recently conducted an interview on Cuse Sports Talk. He said in part, “I firmly believe that the Orange will be really, really competitive.”

After Brown, most recently the defensive backs coach at Georgia, left for the head-coaching job at Syracuse football, Durham said that he had a conversation with Georgia’s head coach, Kirby Smart, who has won two national championships in recent years with the Bulldogs.

Durham says that he asked Smart about how he thought Brown would do on the Hill, and according to Durham, Smart responded, “You’re not gonna believe it.”

Josh Pate, the host of Late Kick Live and The Late Kick Podcast, recently noted that the Syracuse football 2024 docket doesn’t include games versus North Carolina, Florida State, Clemson and Louisville – arguably the top-four teams in the ACC, according to Pate.

He added that the ‘Cuse gets Virginia Tech and Miami at home, and he thinks perhaps the Orange’s toughest road game is at Pittsburgh, and Syracuse football has a bye the week before that. I would argue that the team’s toughest road game in 2024 will be at N.C. State, but I think we all understand what Pate is saying here.

He closed with this: “I’m not saying purchase your Syracuse ACC championship tickets, I’m just saying, if you want to sound smart around the water cooler in January and February, start talking about Syracuse.”

I adamantly concur, Josh.