How many games will Syracuse football win? — 2019 Syracuse Football preview

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Syracuse receiver Taj Harris makes a catch for a touchdown. Mandatory Photo Credit: The Juice Online, Kicia Sears.

As we countdown to kickoff on August 31, The Juice Online is going to be tackling the biggest burning questions on the 2019 Syracuse football team. Today’s burning question: How many games will Syracuse football win this year?

To answer our question, we went to our six-member TJO panel for their predictions on the season. Here’s where they all landed:

Writer Season Prediction Bowl Game
Brad Bierman 10-3 Sun Bowl — WIN: Oregon
Jim Stechschulte 9-4 Orange Bowl — LOSS: Florida
Chris McGlynn 9-4 Camping World Bowl— WIN: Iowa State
Judy Salamone 10-3 Orange Bowl — WIN: Auburn
Wes Cheng 8-5 Pinstripe Bowl — WIN: Nebraska
Steve Auger 10-3 Orange Bowl — WIN: Notre Dame

BRAD BIERMAN: Syracuse will end the regular season at 9-3, finishing the season on a four-game win streak after navigating a tough start to the league season. That streak will reach five games in the Sun Bowl in an ACC Tier One bowl game that the Orange will seek win No. 10 in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1991-92. Syracuse will play Oregon, and the ‘Cuse “D” will harass Ducks senior quarterback Justin Herbert all New Year’s Eve afternoon, while Tommy DeVito’s arm and a strong run game confuse Oregon’s defense. One last Andre Szmyt field goal for the season seals a 33-18 bowl victory, and 10 win seasons in two of Baber’s first four years at the helm.

» Related: Breaking down the 2019 Syracuse football season with Brendan Carney

JUDY SALAMONE: I’m not going to lie. In the 30 plus years covering Syracuse University sports, I’ve never..on paper that is…have predicted how the Orange football, basketball or lacrosse team would complete their seasons. Never. So, when asked to forecast how the 2019 SU football team would fare, I said why not. Here it goes. Picked to finish second in the Atlantic Division, Syracuse was once the hunters, now they are the hunted. With flashy quarterback Tommy Devito behind center, an experienced and deep backfield, a talented wide receiving corps and linebacking group and a solid unit back in the secondary, the Orange should exact last year’s 9-3 regular season record. Their only losses will be to Clemson, Florida State and North Carolina State. Syracuse will cap off the 2019 campaign with a win against Auburn in the Capital One Orange Bowl. Back-to-back 10-3 seasons. Orange fans will take that!

CHRIS MCGLYNN: Syracuse enters the season with high expectations following it’s first 10-win season in over 15 years. However, this Orange team definitely lacks the depth to really push into the national conversation. Injuries along the offensive line or to Tommy Devito would completely derail the season. If SU can stay mostly healthy, it seems pretty reasonable for this team to go 8-4 in the regular season. I expect losses against Clemson, Florida State and some combination of Pittsburgh, NC State and Boston College. A number of close losses will have fans talking about what could have been, and rightfully so. Syracuse is close to being an 10-2 or 11-1 type of team. Devito showed flashes last year of how good he can be and there is plenty of returning defensive talent in Andre Cisco, Kendall Coleman and Alton Robinson. However, it is hard to see the Orange exceeding last year’s level of play right away. Another year in the Camping World Bowl would be a great result as Dino Babers continues to turn this team into a true top-20 program.

WES CHENG: I have Syracuse finishing the regular season at 7-5 with wins over Liberty, Western Michigan, Holy Cross, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Louisville and Wake Forest. The Orange will roll out all of the stops for their game against Clemson, but the Tigers are too deep and will certainly not take any game against Syracuse lightly going forward. The Maryland game in Week 2 on the road will be a wakeup call for the Orange, and I see a talented Florida State team in Year 2 of the Willie Taggart era figuring out the Art Briles air raid offense in a rebound year. Syracuse hosts Pitt and Boston College this year, so those coin flip games go to Syracuse. A down Louisville team and a Wake Forest home game to close out the season comprise Syracuse’s other wins. The Orange close out the season in a Tier 1 ACC bowl game against Big 10 foe Nebraska at Yankee Stadium, and SU grinds out a win in the snow in front of a pro-Syracuse crowd to cap an eight-win season, and first back-to-back winning seasons since 2000-01.

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