Syracuse football's 2026 season is finally here, Orange fans! The 'Cuse will host New Hampshire, a Football Championship Subdivision ("FCS") program, this Saturday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome.
The Orange and the Wildcats are scheduled to kick off at noon EST on Saturday, Sept. 5, with television coverage on the ACC Network. It will be the first-ever meeting between Syracuse football and New Hampshire, which competes in the Coastal Athletic Association ("CAA").
The Wildcats are one of three non-conference foes for the 'Cuse in the 2026 season, along with UConn on the road and No. 4 Notre Dame at home. Syracuse football will play nine Atlantic Coast Conference contests in the upcoming season.
New Hampshire began its 2026 campaign this past Friday night, losing on the road to Albany, 28-14. Last year, the Wildcats went 8-5 overall and 4-4 in league play. New Hampshire fell in the first round of the FCS playoffs in 2025.
The latest betting odds for Syracuse football hosting New Hampshire on Saturday afternoon.
At the time of this writing, FanDuel had the Orange as a heavy betting favorite, at 34.5 points. The over/under for this non-conference encounter is 57.5 points. My Inside the Loud House colleague, Bryan Zarpentine, had an in-depth preview of the Wildcats earlier this summer.
Fran Brown is entering his third season as SU's head coach. In 2024, the 'Cuse went 10-3 overall and was ranked No. 20 in the final Associated Press top 25. Last year, Syracuse football started 3-1, including a road victory at Clemson. But in that win over the Tigers, starting quarterback Steve Angeli was injured, and the Orange fell apart after that, losing eight straight games.
Angeli is good to go in 2026, and Brown recently confirmed that he's QB1 for Syracuse at the onset of this season. The 'Cuse also has a stronger overall quarterback room than last year, which is key, should Angeli not be able to go for any reason throughout the 2026 campaign.
Syracuse football's depth chart for the New Hampshire game should be out as early as Monday, and I'll be curious to see who is starting and who makes the two-deep at various position groups. In addition to a lot of new faces on SU's 2026 roster, the Orange also has a lot of new assistants, including defensive coordinator Vince Kehres.
The ACC's preseason media poll has the 'Cuse at No. 14 in a 17-member conference for football. SU's schedule is challenging, but if Angeli is healthy, the defense is better and the roster as a whole remains healthy, Syracuse football has a realistic chance to go bowling for the second time in Brown's tenure on the Hill.
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