We share some thoughts about the 2026 schedule
Now that the Syracuse Orange 2026 schedule is mostly finalized, the TNIAAM staff shared some of our thoughts about the football squad next Fall.
In your opinion, what was the most interesting part of the schedule?
Christian: For some reason or another, Syracuse has faced a three-game road trip early on in the season for the past few years. This year’s version doesn’t bring the same talent level that past versions of the three-game road trip have featured. However, the challenges are interesting. It kicks off with a short week game at Pitt, which is always interesting. Then comes the bye week. Syracuse has traditionally struggled out of the bye week in recent years. Hopefully, UConn provides a slightly easier opponent for Syracuse to tango with after the bye week. Then the road trip ends with a game against Virginia, the reigning ACC regular season champions.
Mike: I personally hate having the bye so early in the season – it leaves little room for error with managing wear and tear throughout the year. And I thought we were done with the whole “four whole weeks without a Dome game” thing… though that maybe could have been avoided if they dropped UConn from the schedule instead of Toledo. Not a great draw, all told. Though I am curious if either SMU or Clemson gets flexed to Friday.
Kevin: The September slate is going to be intriguing for the Orange. Cal is going to be a tough ACC opener, but you’ve got them flying East after they face Bob Chesney’s UCLA team. Then, you play at Pitt on short rest. Right now it feels like the Orange could be 1-2, 2-1, or maybe 3-0 heading into the bye. We know Syracuse won’t be ranked to begin the year, but if they could get off to a hot start it builds some confidence before October arrives. If it’s a 1-2 start, then it could be another long Fall.
Dom: The usual “not having a home game for over 30 days” stretch sticks out like a sore thumb, as Kevin noted. That said, getting the reigning ACC champs in UVA followed by Louisville, UNC, Clemson and SMU easily feels like the “we will know just how good this team is by then” run of the year. The bye week being that early will be tricky to navigate, but I will say, I do like getting Louisville, SMU and Clemson all at home.
Which will be the toughest three-game stretch of the season?
Christian: Some people wouldn’t think a three-game stretch with two home games isn’t the toughest. However, the two home games in question are SMU and Clemson. The Mustangs have been near the top of the conference since they joined. And I doubt many people are counting on another 7-6 season from Clemson. The three-game stretch ends at NC State. And all we need to do is ask our friend and former editor of this site, John Cassillo.
Mike: Ditto. SMU, Clemson, and at NC State is the stretch that will make or break the season. Two regular playoff contenders and a third that likes to hover around Top 25 status? A signature win will be found, or lost, here.
Kevin: I’ll mix it up a bit. Playing at UConn, at Virginia and then hosting Louisville is one of those sneaky stretches. The UConn game will feature coaching staffs with a lot of familiarity with each other. Virginia is coming off an outstanding season and brings in Beau Pribula at QB while the Cardinals added Lincoln Kienholz from Ohio State. Because of where this games fall in the season, I think this could be a swing stretch.
Dom: Ditto for me with the early trap potential the first part of the schedule has. A Cal team that’s going to at least be frisky, tests on the road versus Pitt and UConn for a roster projected to be on the younger side, then the reigning ACC champs. Feels like Syracuse could literally be everything from 5-0 to 1-4 after those four games, at least for me.
How many games do you think will be ABC/ESPN broadcasts?
Christian: At most, two. The Clemson and Notre Dame games are prime candidates. However, Syracuse isn’t at a level where it can be the program to command the flagship ESPN broadcasts to cover them. The Orange have to rely on their opponents to bring the big guns of TV.
Mike: The Clemson game has fierce SEC competition with Bama/LSU and Georgia/Ole Miss, plus Miami/Notre Dame and Virginia Tech/SMU (the later of which could be the Friday flex). Week 13 is much tamer in matchup value, as aside from Old Fashioned Hate and possibly Virginia/VT, I don’t think there’s a sure fire third slot to be beat. TL;DR, one or two.
Kevin: We know the Thursday night game at Pitt will be one and I’d bet that Syracuse hosts a Friday night game- my bet is SMU is the opponent. Notre Dame is a lock so give me 3 ABC/ESPN games for the Orange.
Dom: Four at absolute most. Locks are Pitt on Thursday, one of SMU/Clemson and Notre Dame. I could maybe see UVA or UNC sneak in if either one of those teams starts out hot and the Orange are either undefeated or have one loss. The unofficial Vegas line would be 2.5.
Any other thoughts?
Christian: Now that we can digest the opponents in an actual schedule format, there shouldn’t be any pessimism about bowl expectations. Last year, even with the great start Syracuse got out to, a bowl game would have exceeded expectations. This season, I think a lot of people, me included, can say that a bowl game is very reasonable to achieve. Hopefully for the Orange, the quarterback situation is not as dire as 2025.
Mike: It’s no secret that we’ve seen the best and worst versions of Fran Brown teams in record time. Year three should fall somewhere in the middle, but hopefully closer to year one. I’ll go just a bit further than Christian and say a winning record (7-5 or better regular season) is the target with this schedule. It was the benchmark that Dino didn’t reach in 2022, and after two recruiting classes and some other shake ups, I believe it’s fair to hold Fran to a similar standard now.
Kevin: If Syracuse wants to make a bowl game I think they need to have 6 wins before November arrives. Road games at NC State and BC aren’t impossible but sandwiched between Clemson and Notre Dame make them more challenging for a team that might not have the depth it needs.
Dom: October will be the critical month for the Orange. Where is this team heading into the Clemson game? Can it withstand the early bye? The SMU and Clemson games, as Mike mentioned earlier, are the most obvious potential signature wins on the board, but the slate leading up to that with at UConn, at UVA, home Louisville and at UNC will definitely show whether this is an 8ish win team or a 5ish win team.
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What jumps out to you about the schedule?
Category: General Sports
