It’s finally gameday. Not just for Syracuse, but for many college football teams. Syracuse and Tennessee square off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Ohio State and Texas go at it in Columbus. Lee Corso retires after 38 seasons, and appears for his final College GameDay.
For SU, it’s not just any ordinary season-opener. It’s one for the ages. An NFL stadium. A notable opponent in 24th-ranked Tennessee. And it happens to be the opening game of the year, instead of a highly-ranked opponent coming later in the season.
Of course, 24th-ranked Tennessee will be one of many likely ranked opponents that Syracuse is faced with this season. Clemson, Notre Dame, SMU, and Miami among the others.
Many questions are soon to be answered against a difficult test.
The obvious is how will Steve Angeli fair in his first game as SU’s starting quarterback. Angeli transferred from Notre Dame late in the spring, and gave LSU transfer Rickie Collins a run for his money.
Fran Brown enjoyed how Angeli built a personal relationship with everyone on the team, and how he expressed his leadership skills as a signal-caller over the summer and in training camp.
Angeli has made one start before in the 2023 Sun Bowl when Notre Dame beat Oregon State 40-8. He threw for 232 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
The question today will be how can Angeli stack up in a loud, packed environment right away. This includes mostly Volunteers fans who can make the short trip from Knoxville.
If the offense can get going early on and stick with Tennessee going into halftime, this game will be a close finish. If the offense struggles early, that outcome could differ.
Tennessee has also experienced a quarterback battle in the offseason and it’ll have to worry about its own offense, too.
Syracuse and Tennessee. Noon. ABC.
