Syracuse Orange football: Our premature predictions for the 2023 season

Syracuse Orange football finished 7-6 last year, starting a hot 6-0 run and securing the teams first bowl appearance since 2018 as well as a season-high No. 14 ranking in the AP poll. SU is now aiming for back-to-back .500-plus seasons for the first time since 2012 and 2013.

With footballs back on the horizon, it’s time to look ahead and release our far too early predictions for the upcoming season.

Mike, Christian and I categorize each match with the following titles: Fixed gain, lean gain, toss, slight loss and fixed loss. Mike will go into detail soon, previewing each opponent in more depth. So far, here are our general game predictions for Cuse:

Note: SP+ Attack and Defense Ratings: ESPN. All over/under win totals courtesy of DraftKings. Syracuse is 62nd in offensive SP and 43rd in defensive SP heading into the season with an O/U of 6.5 wins. Also, keep in mind that the ACC is entering its first year new schedule model.

Sept. 2: Home vs. Colgate (SP: N/A, O/U: N/A)

Dom (fixed profit): Compared to their basketball team in recent years, Colgates football team is nowhere near pulling off an unimaginable upset. No excuses for Orange.

Mike (fixed win): They won’t be Wagner-level, but an FCS team coming off a 3-8 season should be a good way to start the year. Don’t underestimate them.

Christian (fixed win): Dino Babers first game with Syracuse came against Colgate in 2016. It revealed that the Orange has a new fast offense, and this should serve as a good transition for Jason Becks’ offense and the new Rocky Long’s 3-3-5 defense.

Sept. 9: Home vs. Western Michigan (SP: N/A, O/U: 3.5)

Dom (fixed profit): Just like in 2021 and 2022, you can expect Syracuse to get off to a comfortable 2-0 start with home games to start the year. From here, though, things get interesting.

Mike (fixed win): Another game that should end at halftime – with or without LeQuint Allen on the court.

Christian (fixed win): Western Michigan’s only hope was the power of Tim Lester. Now that he’s no longer there, it’s another tune-up game.

Sept. 16: Away vs. Purdue (Off. SP: 91st, Def. SP: 98th, O/U: 5.5)

Dom (throw): No, this is not the same Boilermakers team that went 8-4 last season, played in the Big Ten Championship Game and secured a bowl game vs. LSU. In fact, Purdues SP numbers have dropped from the upper 50-60’s to the top 100. But this is a road game, and given the miraculous outcome of the 2022 fixture, I expect the job to be tougher in this situation.

Mike (Lean Win): This Purdue team has a LOT of turnover and uncertainty heading into the 2023 season. A true first-year head coach thrown into the best game will either make a memorable first statement of his tenure or ramp up the learning curve. Experience says that you should use the latter.

Christian (throw): This is where we start to figure out where Syracuse’s offensive line stands. If Garrett Shrader has time to throw or find a run, the Orange should grab the win. However, if the offensive line continues to perform like it did at the end of last season, the Syracuse defense will be on the field a lot.

Photo: Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images

September 23: Home vs. Army (Off. SP: 94., Def. SP: 88., O/U: 6)

Dom (Lean Win): All signs point to Syracuse having a better roster and a better chance to win. However, if Army’s defense plays close to its 2022 mark (43rd in defensive SP), this could continue to be a defensive slugfest similar to last year’s home game against Virginia.

Mike (Lean Win): I would have called this a toss up a few weeks ago, but that was before the NCAA banned cut blocks and Army eliminated the signature triple read option.

Christian (Lean Win): With the triple option no longer in use, the 3-3-5 should be easier to bottle up the army.

Sept. 30: Home vs. Clemson (Off. SP: 65th, Def. SP: 34th, O/U: 10)

Dom (throw): Syracuse is 2-9 all-time against Clemson and hasn’t won since its all-time home opener in 2017. However, back-to-back days, the Orange have lost both games to the Tigers by nine points — including a heartbreaking loss last year. If an insane upset is going to happen to the Orange, this is the game to make it happen.

Mike (fixed loss): You had two chances to beat weakened Clemson teams and failed both times. I have every confidence that these Tigers will be back to full strength and even if the Dome should rock, it won’t be enough to stop a much better team from winning.

Christian (fixed loss): One of the biggest reasons Syracuse stayed competitive in the game last season was because of the offensive line. Bryan Bresee and Myles Murphy couldn’t leave a lasting impression on Garrett Shrader as the Orange offensive line remained strong. I have a strong feeling that won’t happen this season.

Oct. 7: Away vs. North Carolina (Off. SP: 15th, Def. SP: 55th, O/U: 8.5)

Dom (fixed loss): This is where things start to get tough for the Orange, including a road game against a loaded UNC team. Not going to happen…

Mike (Lean Loss): From this brutal three-game stretch, I think SU may *maybe* get lucky here. Drake Maye fell off a bit at the end of a phenomenal freshman year and showed he’s not invincible, but the Orange offense will have to keep up with his arm to have a chance.

Christian (fixed loss): Many defensive players have commented positively on Rocky Longs 3-3-5. Now is the time to show it. If Syracuse can’t pressure Drake Maye, it’s going to be a long day.

Oct. 14: Away vs. Florida State (Off. SP: 9th, Def. SP: 11th, O/U: 10)

Dom (fixed loss): If last year proved anything, it’s that State of Floridas ACC championship to lose. Especially on a deeper roster, high in the preseason investment and predicted Heisman candidate Jordan Travis all in the mix.

Mike (fixed loss): I’m going to go one step further than Dom and say that FSU is likely to be a College Football Playoff team this fall. This will be the ugliest show of the season, but luckily, see you just before.

Christian (fixed loss): Jordan Travis has seen Syracuse enough times to know how to dismantle a defense that hasn’t been good at stopping moving quarterbacks.

Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images

October 26: Away vs. Virginia Tech (Off. SP: 90th, Def. SP: 46th, O/U: N/A)

Dom (throw): Virginia Tech is an even matchup against Syracuse, but with the aforementioned challenge of potentially three straight brutal losses, Syracuse will need to keep their composure.

Mike (throw): On the other hand, SU honestly looks like the better team than the Hokies. On the other hand, Enter Sandman has won 13 times out of 19 on Thursday night.

Christian (throw): If this was Syracuse’s home game, let’s move on to a skinny win. However, on a weeknight at Lane Stadium and with ice weekend, the Orange better get off to a quick start.

Nov. 3: Home vs. Boston College (Off. SP: 91st, Def. SP: 63rd, O/U: 5.5)

Dom (Lean Win): This is not the same BC team as last year, especially on offense. With this home game, this is a much-needed win at the Dome.

Mike (fixed win): The Orange students and their families are packing up their houses after a month without a home game (thanks to the ACC scheduling committee) and seeing a very lopsided rivalry continue as it is.

Christian (fixed win): AJ Dillon and David Bailey are no longer at Boston College. Don’t mess this up, Syracuse.

Nov. 11: Neutral vs. Pittsburgh (Off. SP: 101st, Def. SP: 102nd, O/U: 6.5)

Dom (throw): Arguably the biggest swing game of the year, putting up a 6.5 over/under line, Syracuse plays Pitt in the Centennial event at Yankee Stadium. This could decide who makes the bowl game or not.

Mike (Lean Loss): If this happened in the Dome, I’d call it a skinny win, but given that there’s more of a corporate crowd, expect the usual slog game against Pitt that ends with neither team earning a win, but Pat Narduzzi somehow getting it anyway.

Christian (Lean Loss): Syracuse hasn’t invented the Pat Narduzzis defense in the post-Dungey era. Not too many things have changed to make me believe the fortunes will turn this season.

Nov. 18: Road vs. Georgia Tech (Off. SP: 89th, Def. SP: 53rd, O/U: 4.5)

Dom (Lean Win): On paper, Syracuse should be able to get the job done. But given the derailment of recent seasons due to recession and injuries, this could be more of a slipper.

Mike (Lean Win): GT has an improved roster compared to the train wreck that was last year’s mass shooting of athletics staff. Unfortunately for them, the Empire State of the South has a lot of orange alum, making this more of a home environment than the previous week in the Bronx.

Christian (Lean Win): As Dom alluded to, hopefully Syracuse is healthy enough to take advantage of the rebuild Georgia Tech.

Nov. 25: Home vs. Wake Forest (Off. SP: 38th, Def. SP: 73rd, O/U: 6)

Dom (throw): Another potential end-of-season marquee game, Wake Forests high-powered offense led to an upset against the Orange last season. At home and with a bowl game on the line, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

Mike (throw up): I really don’t know how to rate Wake Forest at this point, so let’s just hope this is an insurance game for a better bowl and not a must-win to get there.

Christian (Lean Loss): I continue to wear the hat of TNIAAM’s eternal pessimist. The Orange’s lack of depth has been flaring up well before this game, and it shows in the loss here.

Final updated predictions:

• Dom (best case: 8-4, realistic record: 6-6)
• Mike (best case: 9-3, realistic record: 7-5)
• Christian (best case: 7-5, realistic record: 6-6)

How realistic are our predictions? Leave your thoughts below.