Ever since the loss to Stanford a few weeks ago, it feels like the expectations for Syracuse football have become exponentially lower. Entering the game against the Cardinal, the Orange were looking ahead to find their name in the polls. Instead, they came out flat and lost to the team almost unanimously picked to finish last in the conference. SU went from a potential ACC title contender to fighting for relevance once again. The ‘Cuse was unimpressive in what should have been a cakewalk against a struggling FCS team, Holy Cross. Now, a trip out west to take on a group of five team that lost its quarterback is on deck and Syracuse has no choice but to win.
UNLV is ranked for the first time in program history and is 6.5 point favorites against the ‘Cuse. But it’s a game that the Orange desperately need to win. The schedule ahead doesn’t get much easier. Syracuse’s loss at home to one of the worst teams in the ACC proves that there’s no such thing as a gimmie game. After Friday nights nationally televised game, SU plays in back-to-back prime-time conference contests. Winning at night on the road is never easy. Then, Syracuse hosts Virginia Tech who almost beat a top-10 team last week. Trips to Boston College and Cal look a lot harder now then they did over the summer. SOMEHOW, ESPN’s matchup predictor has Syracuse PROJECTED TO LOSE at HOME against UCONN. Then, the ‘Cuse ends its season against #8 Miami.
A loss against UNLV means that Syracuse would most likely have to win at least one conference road game, two if it loses to Virginia Tech (Syracuse isn’t beating Miami) just to make it to six wins and bowl game. We all know how SU teams in the past played in October and November. Yes, its an entirely new coaching staff and culture, but a lot of the players are the same. We saw this play out in the Stanford Game.
A bowl appearance this year isn’t enough for a team that was talking about a conference title and a College Football Playoff game. Seven wins is the minimum for this squad with how the schedule is. Yes, the schedule looks harder than it initially did, but its still the easiest it will ever get in a power conference. Syracuse needs to beat UNLV to essentially lock up a bowl appearance and make 7-8 wins a legitimate possibility.
