We’ve officially hit the halfway point of December, which means that the postseason for college football is right around the corner. There are still twelve more days until we see Syracuse football square off with Washington State in the DirecTV Holiday Bowl, but there’s a lot at stake for a game like this especially for Fran Brown. Let’s dive into the most important positives that could come with this bowl win for a budding program like SU.
National Exposure
When Fran Brown signed on to headman the Orange just about a year ago, his biggest goal was to bring the program back to its glory days. In a modern age, being nationally relevant doesn’t just mean winning championships on the field and doing things like upsetting a top-10 team in Miami, a lot off the field matters as well. One thing Fran Brown has done this season that many may not realize is bringing eyes to Syracuse. We saw this with the “Winners Get Washed” incident that continues to be referenced on social media. If Syracuse were to pick up the win in the Holiday Bowl, where the winning coach gets doused in eggnog, this year by professional eating icon Joey Chestnut, tell me that video would not go viral again. All press is good press, and this kind of press would show a national audience that Syracuse is a fun program to watch and even be a part of.
Transfer Portal
This is arguably the most important reason for Syracuse needing a bowl victory. If you’ve been living under a rock, Kyle McCord transferred to the Orange from Ohio State and was electric, finishing 10th in Heisman voting. Unfortunately for Fran Brown, he’ll need to replicate that kind of thing next season, as McCord plans to enter the NFL Draft and the backup options for a “win-now” program aren’t great. There have been some big-time names tied to SU so far, such as Texas A&M’s Connor Weigman and Liberty’s Kaidon Salter. A bowl victory out in San Diego and finishing with 10 wins this season could be the tipping point for one of these quarterbacks to want to come to the 315. This is projecting, of course, but winning the Holiday Bowl definitely wouldn’t hurt.
Draft Stock
I don’t know if it was a shock to everyone, but I was pleasantly surprised to see Kyle McCord say he will be playing in this game. Either way, the Holiday Bowl now stands as his last opportunity to raise his NFL draft stock after leading the country in passing yards. The same can be said for some other elite players on SU’s roster who have NFL aspirations, such as tight end Oronde Gadsden and linebacker Marlowe Wax. Either way, McCord having a strong performance is all Syracuse needs to win this game most likely, and having a strong postseason game on the resume might just turn an NFL team’s head come April.
As of December 15th, Syracuse sits at 8-point favorites over Washington State. Keep an eye out for plenty of coverage from us before kickoff between the Orange and Cougars on Friday, December 27th at 8:00 p.m. on FOX.
