Schedule Analysis — 2016 Syracuse Football preview

With Syracuse less than a week away from kickoff, The Juice Online will be doing its annual week-long football preview. Check back in tomorrow as Jim Stechschulte gives his overall outlook and predictions. 

For the second straight campaign, the Orange open with three consecutive home contests, including a Friday night debut against an FCS team. The second game of the season, when #23 Louisville comes to the Carrier Dome, will be the unveiling of Dino Babers’ new offense at SU in front of a national television audience. That third game is a revenge opportunity for Syracuse, as they lost at USF last season. The game against the Bulls will also be a contest against a team that is on a same general level as the Orange, but has very good athleticism. It could be the bellwether for the rest of the year.

Three straight games away from the Carrier Dome follows that opening stretch, including the first of three games against preseason top-ten teams. Notre Dame is that first top-ten team, as the Irish enter the season ranked #9 in the country. The other two games in that stretch classify as winnable, even for a team working in new systems on both sides of the ball.

The back half of the season is not easy, highlighted by a trip to #2 Clemson and a visit from #4 Florida State in a three-week span. Syracuse was game against the Tigers last year at home, but a trip south is a different story. The trip to Boston College is one of the easier ACC matchups, as the Orange defeated a punchless BC team to close 2015. Games with Virginia Tech, North Carolina State, and Pitt will show how far the SU offense has come over the course of the season.

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