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Syracuse Football: Game-by-game predictions for Orange in 2023

By Austin Lloyd

Sep 17, 2022; Syracuse, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange wide receiver Oronde Gadsden II (19) is hoisted by teammates after catching a winning touchdown against the Purdue Boilermakers late in the fourth quarter at JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2022; Syracuse, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange wide receiver Oronde Gadsden II (19) is hoisted by teammates after catching a winning touchdown against the Purdue Boilermakers late in the fourth quarter at JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports /
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SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 30: Sean Tucker #34 of the Syracuse Orange is pushed out of bounds by Jason Maitre #3 of the Boston College Eagles during the fourth quarter at the Carrier Dome on October 30, 2021 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
SYRACUSE, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 30: Sean Tucker #34 of the Syracuse Orange is pushed out of bounds by Jason Maitre #3 of the Boston College Eagles during the fourth quarter at the Carrier Dome on October 30, 2021 in Syracuse, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images) /

@ Florida State (L)

Oh my goodness where does it end?

After facing both of the 2022 ACC Championship teams, the Orange will be heading into Doak Campbell Stadium to take on the dreaded Florida State Seminoles—a squad that has more offseason hype surrounding them than most others.

The Seminoles are coming off of their first 10-win season since 2016, and one of those wins was secured against Syracuse by a margin of five touchdowns. Now throw in the brutal road environment and the fatigue that the Orange are bound to be suffering from. The morale of Babers and his guys will likely be at an all-time low after this one’s over with.

@ Virginia Tech (W)

Most games in these prediction articles are rather easy to break down; you look at the matchup, get a strong first impression of who you think will win, and then explain why you got such an impression. A few games can leave that easier said than done, though, and this is one of them.

The Virginia Tech Hokies are a very tough squad to read, as while they sucked in 2022, head coach Brent Pry was only in his first season. With more time now under his belt, could he have his boys in good enough shape to down Syracuse in Blacksburg? Possibly. However, recent history has proven that is far from a guarantee.

The last time the Orange went into Lane Stadium was 2021. They were 3-4 on the season, had lost their last three games, and were yet to obtain a single Power 5 win. All of that certainly had them feeling defeated before they even took the field—but they went on to win anyway.

Assuming that my predictions thus far have been accurate, Syracuse will enter 2023’s meeting with a 3-4 record, a 3-game losing streak, and no Power 5 wins. Sound familiar? The only difference would be that Syracuse has since gotten better while Virginia Tech has since gotten worse. Oh, and they will both be coming off of bye weeks this time around (something that Syracuse will desperately need).

The Orange will remember what happened back in 2021, and they’ll use it to push them all the harder. This will be a highlight of their season as they look to remind us that they’re still here.

Boston College (W)

With a final record of 3-9 (2-6 ACC) the Boston College Eagles were officially the conference’s worst team in 2022. The only two teams to have worse records in league play were Virginia and Virginia Tech (1-6), but neither of them finished their schedules due to the UVA shooting. Boston College had played VT earlier in the season, though, and got a 3-score loss out of it.

As for how the Eagles played Syracuse, they fell by nine on their own home field despite the Orange coming off of five straight losses.

So to summarize, the Eagles were awful last year. Now they will be visiting Syracuse at a relatively unfortunate time. I’ll take the Orange in this one, perhaps by a convincing margin.

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