As the season approaches and gets closer, game times and other information continue to roll out. Earlier this week, information for SU’s second game of the season against Western Michigan was released. The Orange will take on the Broncos at 3:30 p.m. Notibally, the game will not be televised. The ACC-MAC battle will be available to stream on ACCNX or ESPN+. This is the same as the season opener for the Orange against Colgate.
This marks the first time since 2019 that either of the first two games for the Orange are not nationally televised. It is the first time since at least 2017 that neither of the first two games of the Syracuse season will be on TV. So, while both games are at home, Syracuse fans won’t fully miss out, this is a disturbing sign.
Why is this a bad thing to see though? Well first off, obviously it makes things much harder for fans who can’t go to the game. Now every who wants to see SU in action won’t just be able to turn on the TV but will have to pay an extra subscription. Secondly, not being on TV means that the program will be further out of the spotlight which makes recruiting much harder.
Dino Babers has had a bounce-back 2024 class after the disaster that was the 2023 cycle. His job gets harder with this announcement, however. High school recruits want to be showcased on the biggest stage and many times that is one of the biggest things behind a commitment. Neither of the first two games being on TV means that many of these recruits won’t be able to watch the games and will be turned off by the fact Syracuse’s games aren’t televised.
The third game of the season, against Purdue, will be on NBC however int he primetime 730 p.m. window. So while the start doesn’t look too great, a redeeming performance in week three could turn this around for Syracuse.
