Syracuse football looks to get back into the win column this Saturday night when the Orange travels to Chapel Hill to face the North Carolina Tar Heels. The 'Cuse (2-4 overall, 0-4 in ACC) fell by eight points at home last Saturday against Louisville, while UNC (4-2 overall, 2-1 in ACC) defeated in-state rival Duke on the road, 24-20.
Head coach Fran Brown and his team are searching for their first Atlantic Coast Conference win of the 2026 campaign. In fact, SU hasn't knocked off a conference foe since September 2025, when the Orange conquered Clemson in Death Valley.
Unless Syracuse football starts piling up victories, the squad is looking at the distinct possibility of a second straight losing campaign. The 'Cuse went 3-9 overall in 2025. This season, the Orange has fallen by eight points or fewer in three of its setbacks, but SU has been plagued by quarterback injuries, a woeful kicking game, way too many penalties and inefficiencies in all three phases.
How to watch Syracuse football at North Carolina on Saturday.
The Orange and the Tar Heels are scheduled to kick off at 7:30 pm EST on October 24 at Kenan Stadium. The ACC Network will air this conference contest. At the time of this writing, FanDuel had UNC as an 8.5-point betting favorite, with the over/under set at 46.5 points.
In their relatively short all-time series together, the 'Cuse is 3-5 against the Tar Heels, and Syracuse has lost three in a row. The teams played at the JMA Wireless Dome last Halloween in head coach Bill Belichick's first campaign at North Carolina's helm. The Tar Heels prevailed in that encounter, 27-10.
The two main themes that I'm eyeing in Saturday evening's affair are SU's quarterback situation and the defensive side of the field. The Orange's initial injury report submitted to the ACC on Wednesday night noted that seniors Amari Odom and Malachi Nelson are both out against UNC.
Syracuse football's injury report submitted to the ACC on Wednesday night for SU's road game vs. North Carolina on Saturday evening:
— InsideTheLoudHouse (@LoudHouseFS) October 22, 2026
OUT: WR Darien Williams, QB Amari Odom, QB Malachi Nelson, OL Jackson Iak and OL D'Joni Scatliffe.
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Fifth-year Steve Angeli is listed as questionable. If he isn't able to play, look for fellow fifth-year Danny Lauter to likely start. Lauter has had limited reps so far in 2026, and he would square off with a solid North Carolina defense.
The Tar Heels are No. 4 in the ACC in points allowed per game, at 19.2. That being said, North Carolina's place in the league in other defensive statistical categories isn't quite as good.
•No. 11 in total yards allowed per game (359.0)
•No. 10 in rushing yards allowed per game (147.3)
•No. 8 in passing yards allowed per game (211.7)
•No. 5 in defensive efficiency
Odds change periodically and are subject to change.
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