'Cuse Nation is pumped for year two of the Fran Brown era as he eyes another terrific term guiding Syracuse football.
The Orange's boss, in his debut as a head coach at the college level, led Syracuse to a 10-3 record, three wins over top-25 teams and a No. 20 national ranking in the final Associated Press poll a season ago.
But the Orange faces a daunting task to try and replicate that feat from 2024 in 2025. That's because Syracuse football has to replace a ton of production on offense and defense, and the team's schedule, on paper, is brutal.
As the 'Cuse prepares to begin its preseason fall camp in the coming days, the Orange will be working toward a juicy 2025 opener at a neutral site against a "blue blood," as Brown recently put it.
Syracuse football will battle that other Orange squad next month.
On Saturday, Aug. 30, from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, the 'Cuse will square off with Southeastern Conference school Tennessee. This non-conference encounter will kick off at noon and air on ABC.
Fun.
The Volunteers made the 12-team College Football Playoff this past term and are expected to be a preseason top-25 squad ahead of 2025. However, like the 'Cuse, Tennessee has huge shoes to replace at quarterback, as Nico Iamaleava transferred from the Vols to UCLA.
At the ACC Football Kickoff, which was recently held in Charlotte, N.C., Brown discussed Tennessee, according to an article from my FanSided colleague, Colton Pickard, via All for Tennessee.
"We're blessed to be able to play in such a prestigious venue against the Blue Blood of college football," Brown said, referring to the Volunteers and the powerful SEC. "They've been doing well for years. I've got a cousin that played there, all the way back to Reggie White."
Brown continued: "Tennessee is a good program, they have a good team, they play in the playoffs. We get a chance to go out and compete against them. We want to make sure how we're supposed to look when you play against a team of that caliber, because they usually blow everybody out at the beginning of the year and do those things. We're just blessed to have an opportunity to play against them."
In 2025, Syracuse football will play four groups that made last season's CFP. And the Orange's road schedule includes heading to Clemson, SMU, Georgia Tech, Miami and national runner-up Notre Dame.
It all starts, though, with our beloved 'Cuse having a shot to stun the Volunteers in just a matter of weeks.