Syracuse football had its two-game winning streak snapped last Saturday at home against Clemson. Now the Orange will hit the road for its next two games. First up is an Atlantic Coast Conference clash against N.C. State on Saturday afternoon.
While the 'Cuse only fell to the Tigers by five points, the Wolfpack got blasted in its last contest. Playing at home, N.C. State was easily beaten by Duke, 41-3. Both Syracuse football (4-5 overall, 2-5 in ACC) and the Wolfpack (4-5 overall, 2-4 in ACC) need two wins over their final three encounters to qualify for a postseason bowl.
For the Orange, it will head to N.C. State and Boston College, then the 'Cuse will host No. 5 Notre Dame in the 2026 regular-season finale. SU and the Wolfpack are scheduled to kick off at noon EST on November 14 at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, N.C.
Late last month, longtime N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren was fired. Replacing him on an interim basis for the rest of the 2026 campaign is the team's running backs coach | special teams coordinator, Todd Goebbel.
Syracuse football's initial injury report ahead of its Saturday road game against N.C. State.
— InsideTheLoudHouse (@LoudHouseFS) November 12, 2026
OUT: WR #7 Darien Williams, DB #9 Jai Eugene Jr., QB #12 Amari Odom, RB #23 Shavane Anderson Jr., OL #62 Jackson Iak, OL #71 Jayden Mann and WR #88 Terrell Wilfong.
Thread 1/2: 🔽
According to media reports, former NFL and Wolfpack quarterback Philip Rivers is expected to become the program's permanent head football coach. ESPN reported that the N.C. State board of trustees was planning to finalize a contract with Rivers on Friday.
Key storylines for Syracuse football at N.C. State on Saturday afternoon.
At the time of this writing, FanDuel had the Orange as a 2.5-point betting favorite against the Wolfpack, with the over/under set at 53.5 points. In their all-time series together, per SU Athletics, Syracuse football is just 4-13 against N.C. State, although the 'Cuse has won two straight. Their last meeting came back in October 2024, when Syracuse football beat the Wolfpack on the road, 24-17.
So how does the Orange knock off N.C. State? As usual, the 'Cuse will want to limit its penalties and prevail in the takeaway department. Both programs score nearly 30 points per game. In many offensive and defensive statistical categories, the Wolfpack is fairly pedestrian, checking in around midway through the Atlantic Coast Conference, if not lower than that.
N.C. State is No. 13 in the ACC in scoring defense, allowing 27.6 points per game. In defensive efficiency, the Wolfpack is even worse, arriving at No. 15 in the 17-member league for football.
One key component is the line of scrimmage. The Orange's offensive line appears to be a bit banged up for this conference contest. That's not an encouraging sign because fifth-year starting quarterback Steve Angeli isn't all that mobile.
However, N.C. State is No. 15 in the ACC pertaining to how many sacks its defense has tallied. Perhaps that will bode well for Syracuse football's offense, whether the team's rushing attack or Angeli in the passing game.
N.C. State senior inside linebacker Popo Aguirre is a stud, and the Orange will need to contain him. Aguirre is currently No. 2 within the ACC in total tackles this season, at 85, which translates to 9.4 tackles per game.
Odds change periodically and are subject to change.
Add us as a preferred source on Google