Just a few weeks ago, there was chatter about Syracuse playing in a New Year’s Six Bowl or even the College Football Playoff. Somewhat unrealistic hope of the latter has been crushed after two straight losses to Clemson and Notre Dame. That being said, don’t think that SU still can’t find itself on national television come late December/early January.
Let’s clarify that last sentence by saying that playing on New Year’s Day like many of the glamorous college football schools do annually isn’t happening for anyone this year. The first day of 2023 falls on a Sunday, so the juggernaut that is the NFL will have the attention of football fans that day. As such, the typical New Year’s Six Bowls- Rose, Sugar, Orange, Cotton, Peach, and Fiesta- are spread out over December 30-31 and January 2.
We can cross the Peach and Fiesta Bowls off the list because those two are the sites of the College Football Playoff Semifinals this year. The Sugar Bowl always features an SEC foe facing a Big 12 team, while the Rose Bowl is Big 10 VS Pac-12 every year. So if the Orange are going to play in a New Year’s Six, it’ll either be the Cotton Bowl or (how appropriate) the Orange Bowl. The Cotton Bowl matchup fluctuates from year-to-year, but ACC teams don’t normally play in it. So we can more likely than not rule that one out. That leads us to the question. What needs to happen for Syracuse to earn an Orange Bowl appearance?
First and foremost, win out. You aren’t sniffing the Orange Bowl if you have three losses on the docket. Secondly, hope Clemson gets to the College Football Playoff. If the Tigers win the ACC but aren’t one of the four teams competing for a national title, Clemson will have that Orange Bowl slot presented to it on a silver platter. Finally, you better hope North Carolina stalls out. Other than Clemson (and itself), the 7-1 Tar Heels pose the biggest threat to the Orange’s New Year’s Six hopes. In other words, a lot needs to happen.
But if SU doesn’t get the nod from Orange Bowl reps (and that is OK considering the expectations before the season), there are plenty of exciting places the Orange could play. Do you like baseball? Try the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium or the Fenway Bowl in Boston. Do you want to head somewhere South during the cold winter months? The Cheez-It Bowl in Florida is a legitimate possibility.
Regardless of if the Orange make a New Year’s Six bowl or not, it’s been four years. Central New York is going to be amped up. Unless Syracuse falls flat on its face and loses its last four games (and that should not happen because Boston College just lost to UConn), bowl season will be highly anticipated by SU fans.
