There’s no question that this week’s matchup against #19 Pittsburgh is absolutely ginormous. The Thursday night clash in the Steel City has significant playoff implications, but could also be the first win for the Orange at Pitt since 2001. This game is so important, that it’s impacting other games on the schedule.
Syracuse’s matchup slated for November 2nd against Virginia Tech has been placed on a six-day hold by both the ACC and ESPN, as have all five other conference matchups that weekend. What does that mean? The game time and what network the game will be broadcasted on are up in air.
You have to assume that the conference is doing this because of its monster slate that week, which includes:
- #19 Pitt at #22 SMU
- Louisville at #9 Clemson
- Stanford at N.C. State
- North Carolina at Florida State
- Duke at #6 Miami
But either way, Syracuse’s matchup against Pitt could throw a major fork in the road for the ACC. A win for SU would probably rank them, which would mean there’s a good chance this matchup with the Hokies would be in a primetime spot. A ranked SU team in front of a packed JMA Wireless Dome against Kyron Drones and Virginia Tech would feed families, but we can’t look past this week just yet. But, it is something interesting to think about as we approach the conference clash.
On the field, Virginia Tech is an exciting matchup that should draw some appeal from the national crowd. VT improved to .500 this week after taking down Boston College, and have an important matchup with Georgia Tech down in Blacksburg. If the Hokies are able to get a win there, it would mark three straight and would give them all the confidence to march into the 315 and take down the Orange. Not for nothing, they DESTROYED Syracuse last season 38-10.
Revenge is a dish best-served cold, and SU has every opportunity to do that in two weeks. It’s just a matter of the time and broadcast, which could make the stakes feel even higher.
