Hale: Syracuse football still has a ’50-50′ shot at a bowl game

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Nov 13, 2021; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals defensive back Qwynnterrio Cole (12) tackles Syracuse Orange wide receiver Sharod Johnson (19) during the second half at Cardinal Stadium. Louisville defeated Syracuse 41-3. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports

Syracuse suffered its worst loss of the season over the weekend, enduring a 41-3 drubbing at Louisville.

With two games left to achieve bowl eligibility, we chatted with ESPN.com’s David Hale to get his take on whether Syracuse can get to six wins after a demoralizing game.

“That Louisville game was shocking to me,” Hale said. “One, Syracuse had been playing better, and two, Louisville hadn’t.”

Still, Syracuse has two chances left to get to the postseason, though it comes against two of the top teams in the ACC, NC State and Pitt.

While the Orange opens as a big underdog against the Wolfpack, Hale does see an opening against a team that just dropped a heartbreaker against ACC frontrunner Wake Forest.

“Maybe NC State comes in with a hangover and assumes they’re going to beat Syracuse, and the game doesn’t go according to plan for them,” Hale said. “You’re looking at a team that had championship hopes.”

The same could apply to Pitt in SU’s regular season finale. If the Panthers top Virginia this weekend, they will be assured a spot in the ACC Championship game.

“How motivated is Pitt in the final game of the year?” Hale said. “Maybe that’s one that Syracuse can steal, too.”

Either way, Hale hasn’t given up on Syracuse just yet.

“I don’t know if I can pick Syracuse to win either of these two games, but I definitely wouldn’t rule it out,” Hale said. “I’d say it’s 50-50 that they get at least one of them.”

» Related: Syracuse’s bowl hopes take a hit at Louisville

We also chatted with Hale about a busy weekend in college football that saw Texas suffering a historic loss to Kansas, Florida giving up 52 points to an FCS team, and Michigan hanging on against Penn State.

“When Texas loses to Kansas, that’s a great joke for the next five years,” Hale said. “That’s an investment in our future happiness.”

Afterward, editor in chief Brad Bierman calls in to discuss Syracuse’s win over Drexel, and the emergence of Jesse Edwards and Frank Anselem.

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About Wes Cheng 2907 Articles
Wes has worked for Rivals.com covering the New York Knicks, as well as for Scout.com covering Syracuse athletics. Wes has also been a contributing writer for the South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), for SportsNet New York (SNY) as a news desk writer covering all of New York professional sports, and reported on the NBA and MLB for the New York Sportscene. A native of Long Island, New York, Wes graduated from Syracuse University in 2005 with a degree in journalism. Contact him at wes[at]sujuiceonline.com.