Francesco (6-0) Exempt from prediction:
The first (and only?) game of the Nunzio Campanile era. This one has a weird feeling for Syracuse. With no more Dino Babers, overarching change is in the horizon. But before we can get there, a game still remains to be played. If the Orange win, there will be two games left to play. It’s hard to know where the players are from a mental standpoint with all that has transpired in a rollercoaster of a season. If they come out hungry and ready to play, Campanile and the coaching staff would deserve a lot of credit. The good news for Syracuse is it’s facing a Wake Forest team for which this game means nothing from a postseason standpoint. Wake is 4-7 and will see its seven year bowl streak end one way or the other. It’ll be a bizarre game if nothing else, that’s for sure.
Adam (8-2): Syracuse 13, Wake Forest 10
I don’t think this is going to be a good football game. It is the 2 p.m. kickoff on the CW Network for a reason. Syracuse is fighting for a bowl game and I think that leaders on this squad like Marlowe Wax and Garrett Shrader want to go out with a win. I think the Orange do just enough to come out on top. Wake has struggled all season long and switched QBs in the middle of the year. The Demon Deacons seven year bowl streak should come to an end, however they’ll be one of the first choices if not enough teams win six games.
Liam (6-1) Exempt from prediction:
Welcome to the battle for last place in the ACC. Here we have a Wake Forest team in a rebuilding year and a Syracuse team reeling in the wake of its dismissal of Dino Babers. There’s still no potent downfield passer from the Orange, but the same can be said for the Demon Deacons. There’s a reason this game was relegated to the CW- it’s going to be extremely sluggish and slow. The only big question is, will SU nab bowl eligibility from it?
Ethan (8-2): Syracuse 20, Wake Forest 16
It feels as though anytime any head coach gets fired or there is any sort of coaching change, the next week a team plays better, freer, and comes out with enegry. On senior day no less, the final game in the Dome and potential final of their careers if things go poorly, expect Syracuse to come out hot, but for this to be a down to the wire game that goes the Orange’s way. With a coaching search ongoing and a lot of smoke in the air, things are moving quickly, but the guys on the field want to play in a bowl game, no matter what, and the Demon Deacons are having a bad year as it is, so let’s go with the Orange in the season finale.
Tyler (5-4): Wake Forest 24, Syracuse 13
It’s been a hard week for SU. As interim head coach Nunzio Campanile put it: “they’ve been through a lot.” With the firing of Dino Babers, but bowl eligibility still on the line, it’s tough to picture how this game goes. The offense could get more free-flowing, as Campanile has openly complimented offensive coordinator Jason Beck for his creativity before the Pitt game. However, the circumstances may be too much to overcome.
