Syracuse Football: National media outlet forecasts 'Cuse in bowl battle with Pirates

It's never too early to start talking about bowl projections for Syracuse football in the upcoming 2024 season, right?

I say this somewhat in jest, as these sorts of forecasts are super early, and I take them with the proverbial grain of salt.

In any event, per an article from On3's Nick Kosko, Athlon Sports has unveiled its 2024 bowl-game predictions, as well as the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff, and the Orange is projected to play in the post-season for the third straight term.

Per Athlon Sports, Syracuse football, under first-year head coach and ace recruiter Fran Brown, is slotted to face East Carolina out of the American Athletic Conference at the 2024 Military Bowl in Annapolis, Md.

While I'd rather see the 'Cuse earn a spot in the CFP, if it does land in the Military Bowl, selfishly, that would be kind of cool, since I live not far from Annapolis in the Baltimore area.

This year's Military Bowl, by the way, will take place on Saturday, Dec. 28, beginning at 5:45 pm and with television coverage on ESPN.

Syracuse football is poised to go bowling again in the upcoming campaign.

East Carolina, a university based in Greenville, N.C., was not good in the most recent season. During the 2023 campaign, the Pirates went 2-10 overall and 1-7 in conference competition.

Per winsipedia.com, the Orange is 7-3 in its all-time series with East Carolina. Most recently, in late September of 2001, the 'Cuse defeated the Pirates, at home, by a final count of 44-30.

In the 12-team CFP for the 2024 season, Athlon Sports has Atlantic Coast Conference member Florida State as a No. 3 seed, while Notre Dame, an ACC school for most sports but an independent in football, is a No. 11 seed.

This is a shocking prediction (insert sarcasm here), but Athlon Sports has Georgia, the No. 1 seed, winning the CFP national championship over the No. 2 seed, Ohio State. If that projection rings true, the Bulldogs would capture their third CFP crown in four seasons.

Syracuse football, meanwhile, will kick off its 2024 term by hosting Ohio in a non-conference affair on Saturday, Aug. 31.

Brown and his top-flight staff have created a palpable buzz in Central New York over the direction of the program, with Orange fans excited about the squad's prospects in the coming season and beyond.

Personally, I think that given the team's favorable schedule (at least on paper), I envision Syracuse football tallying at least eight victories in 2024, and maybe more than that. I can't wait to see this 'Cuse roster hit the field in late August.