The news we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived. Despite other reports, No. 21 Syracuse football will be traveling to San Diego, California on Friday, December 27th for a matchup with the Washington State Cougars in the DirecTV Holiday Bowl.
I wrote about this in our bowl projections article last week, but I personally love this matchup for the Orange. At one point this season, the Cougars sat at 8-1 (with their only loss to Heisman hopeful Ashton Jeanty and #3 in the CFP Boise State) and were ranked number 21 in the first rendition of the College Football Playoff rankings. The wheels fell off the bus though, as Wazzu lost the last three games and “lost” the Pac-12 to Oregon State.
The Cougars are led by sophomore quarterback John Mateer, who threw for over 3,000 yards and 29 touchdowns this season. There’s plenty of talent on this team, and it’s one that many are excited to see play some strong competition. Expect a shootout between Mateer and McCord, assuming he plays.
Strangely enough, this will also mark the third time this season that Syracuse plays in the Pacific Time Zone (UNLV and Cal.) A lot of people aren’t happy that the Orange have to leave the East Coast, but for one of the ACC’s best possible bowl games, I think Fran Brown and company will be okay with it.
Here’s my one gripe with this bowl selection: A win over Washington State doesn’t scream what Fran Brown has been preaching. After the win against Miami, the biggest talking point was that “Syracuse is back.” If the team were to really put themselves back on the map, I would’ve rather seen a clash with an SEC team. That’s not a knock on the Cougars, but the SEC is the best conference in the nation for a reason, and that would be the truest test for a Syracuse team trying to make their mark in the college football landscape.
So don’t worry Syracuse fans, there’ll be plenty of time to celebrate the holidays before worrying about postseason college football. But this matchup will certainly bring some excitement, especially out in sunny SoCal.
