ORANGE WATCH: 2023 Syracuse football game-by-game predictions – Part I
Syracuse football aims for a winning season and consecutive postseason appearances for the first time since Doug Marrone and Scott Shafer led Orange teams to bowl game victories over Power 5 conference schools in 2012 and ’13, respectively. In his eighth season, Dino Babers is tasked to lead the program to the same result. With all the craziness surrounding conference realignment this summer, let’s enjoy the games this fall. We begin our three-part chronological look at each SU contest with the first four weeks of the season.
Right up front, we are not making any comparisons, but in the top two seasons of post-World War II Syracuse football – 1959 and 1987, a commonality was SU hosted and defeated Colgate in one-sided affairs both years. Renewing a 62-game series history that originated in 1891 and was last played in 2016, the upstate neighbor Raiders provide a perfect opening game FCS opponent (September 2) for the 2023 Orange to debut schemes with new coordinators on each side of the ball and test the special teams’ units. ‘Gate will be better than its 3-8 mark a year ago, but the ‘Cuse coaches get the luxury of playing reserves most of the second half in an eventual 48-7 victory (1-0)
Even though 2022 was his only losing season in six years coaching his alma mater, former Dino Babers offensive coordinator Tim Lester was dismissed last November as head coach at Western Michigan, denying him the chance to coach a third time against Babers following ‘Cuse wins over the Broncos in 2018-19. Lester’s now a senior analyst for the Green Bay Packers, and his successor, Lance Taylor, returns to the Dome (September 9) a year after SU dominated Louisville in last season’s opener, when he served as the Cardinals OC in a 31-7 defeat. WMU lost a lot of starters on both sides of the ball and with only a game against FCS member St. Francis (Pa.) before heading to the Dome, SU unleashes a quick-strike offensive series on the opening drive and never looks back in winning 38-10. (2-0)
It was just last December when Babers name came up in connection with the Purdue job, vacated by the departure of Jeff Brohm back to his alma mater Louisville. The Boilermakers ended up hiring 37-year-old Ryan Walters, and his SEC (Mizzou) and Big 10 (Illinois) defensive coordinator pedigree, to go in a fresh direction after Brohm’s six seasons. Babers coached wide receivers at Purdue under Jim Colletto from 1991-93, creating a lifetime memory as detailed in this enjoyable 2015 story from the Lafayette (Ind.) Journal & Courier. This year’s first road game (September 16) is part of the new “Big Ten Saturday Night” package on NBC/Peacock, with a raucous sell-out crowd of nearly 60,000 on hand at newly renovated Ross-Ade Stadium. Down four points with 3:00 to play, Garrett Shrader saves his best for last. He leads the final SU drive down the field and plunges in from 2 yards out with 0:40 left to eek out a 32-29 win and stun the home crowd into silence. (3-0)
What is exciting about the four-game home-and-home series with Army that begins this season in the Dome (September 23) as the last non-conference game on the schedule, is next year ‘Cuse fans can plan a trip to beautiful West Point. The game at Michie Stadium, located on one of the high points of the base grounds which overlooks the Hudson River, is a relatively easy drive from central New York. The last time the teams met in 1996, it was a Top 25 matchup in the sold-out Dome with the Black Knights entering undefeated and leaving following a 42-17 defeat. Army will be unveiling a new look offense in ’23 from its previous unconventional triple-read formation, and the defense will be on its toes to match the Orange’s speed. Touchdowns from all three SU starting units on offense, defense and special teams will highlight a 42-24 final score, and it is the best start to a season since, well, last season’s 6-0 surprise. (4-0)
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