Syracuse’s non-conference schedule has a nice pace to it, as the more challenging games are separated by time for practice and home games against lower-level foes to retool, save for their early season four-team event. There are also a couple matchups with opponents who are ranked in the pre-season polls who should provide measuring sticks for the Orange to chart their progress.

After three tune-ups to start the slate, SU sets off for Brooklyn to face #19 Texas in the Legends Classic, which will be followed by a meeting with either St. Joseph’s or Texas Tech, the latter just missing out of the top 25 in the initial poll. Both Texas and Texas Tech won at least 21 games last season while appearing in the NCAA Tournament.

One of the teams ahead of Texas in both the national and SEC preseason polls is Tennessee, who will host Syracuse in the ACC-SEC Challenge. The retooled Orange will be looking for a measure of revenge against the #12 Volunteers, who handled them fairly easily in last season’s Maui Invitational.

Maryland and Georgetown also appear on the schedule during exams before the holiday break as a couple other name-brand foes. Maryland was voted tenth in the 18-team Big Ten and the Hoyas are expected to finish near the bottom of the Big East, so they are not as menacing of threats as the two ranked teams, but still serious competition.

Speaking of conference pre-season media polls, SU finished 11th in the media day results for the new-look Atlantic Coast Conference. Their first trip through the super-sized ACC features road trips to each of the three new members, including a mid-winter trip to the Bay Area for a couple late-night contests with Stanford and California and a late season trip to Dallas to face SMU, all three of whom were voted behind the Orange.

While none of the new members are ranked in the preseason polls, Duke and North Carolina both made it into the top ten, landing at #7 and #9, respectively. While both will be tough matchups, at least Syracuse will get them both on their home floor.

Four other conference representatives earned mention in the preseason poll, as Wake Forest, Miami, Clemson, and Louisville all earned points. The first and last will also travel to the JMA Wireless Dome while the middle two games will see the Orange traveling.

In all, the conference schedule is pretty reasonable. The Orange have home-and-home matchups with Pittsburgh, Notre Dame, and Boston College. The Panthers were voted seventh in the conference and the Fighting Irish just ahead of SU at tenth, while the Eagles finished last.

As such, Syracuse’s complaints should generally be limited to date and time, but there is nothing too egregious other than using their first conference bye slot to play Maryland (a scheduling decision the Orange approved) and Duke coming to the Dome for the first game after that West Coast swing. With most of the midweek conference games coming on Tuesdays and the bulk of the weekend face-offs coming during the day, the average week is pretty much split down the middle for SU.

· Oct. 26: Clarion, JMA Wireless Dome (exhibition)

· Oct. 30: Slippery Rock, JMA Wireless Dome (exhibition)

· Nov. 4: Le Moyne, JMA Wireless Dome, ACCNX

· Nov. 12: Colgate, JMA Wireless Dome, ACCNX

· Nov. 16: Youngstown State, JMA Wireless Dome, ACCNX

· Nov. 21: Legends Classic - Texas, Barclays Center (Brooklyn, NY), ESPN2·

· Nov. 22: Legends Classic - TBD, Texas Tech or Saint Joseph’s, Barclays Center (Brooklyn, NY), ESPNU

· Nov. 27: Cornell, JMA Wireless Dome, ACCNX

· Dec. 3: at Tennessee, Thompson-Boling Arena, ESPN/ESPN2 (ACC/SEC Challenge)

· Dec. 7: Notre Dame, Purcell Pavillion, The CW

· Dec. 10: UAlbany, JMA Wireless Dome, ESPN2

· Dec. 14: Georgetown, JMA Wireless Dome, ACCN

· Dec. 21: Gotham Classic - Maryland, Barclays Center (Brooklyn, NY), ESPN2

· Dec. 28: Bucknell, JMA Wireless Dome, The CW

· Dec. 31: Wake Forest, JMA Wireless Dome, ESPN2

· Jan. 4: Florida State, Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, ACCN

· Jan. 7: Georgia Tech, JMA Wireless Dome, ACCN

· Jan. 11: Boston College, Conte Forum, The CW

· Jan. 14: Louisville, JMA Wireless Dome, ACCN

· Jan. 18: Notre Dame, JMA Wireless Dome, ACCN

· Jan. 22: Clemson, LittleJohn Coliseum, ACCN

· Jan. 25: Pittsburgh, JMA Wireless Dome, ESPN2/ESPNU

· Jan. 29: Stanford, Maples Pavilion, ESPN2/ESPNU

· Feb. 1: Cal, Haas Pavilion, ESPN2

· Feb. 5: Duke, JMA Wireless Dome, ESPN2

· Feb. 8: Boston College, JMA Wireless Dome, The CW

· Feb. 11: Miami, Watsco Center, ACCN

· Feb. 15: North Carolina, JMA Wireless Dome, ESPN

· Feb. 18: Pittsburgh, Petersen Events Center, ACCN

· Feb. 26: NC State, JMA Wireless Dome, ESPN2/ESPNU

· Mar. 1: Virginia Tech, Cassel Coliseum, The CW

· Mar. 4: SMU, Moody Coliseum, ESPN2/ESPNU

· Mar. 8: Virginia, JMA Wireless Dome, ACCN

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