We’re only a day away from the start of the Syracuse football season, which means it’s time for our annual comprehensive season preview.
It all begins with our position-by-position breakdown of the offense:
- Quarterbacks: Can Garrett Shrader improve his passing game under new OC Robert Anae?
- Running Backs: Could Sean Tucker build upon his historic 2021 season?
- Receivers: Who will emerge as Syracuse’s primary pass catching target?
- Offensive Line: Is this the best OL since 2018?
And continues through to our breakdown of SU’s defense and special teams:
- Defensive Line: Who emerges from an inexperienced group?
- Linebackers: Mikel Jones leads one of the best units in the ACC
- Secondary: Syracuse’s deepest unit may be put to the test
- Special Teams: Can Syracuse improve from a dreadful 2021 with a new coordinator?
If you haven’t gotten to know Syracuse’s opponents well, we’ve done a team-by-team scouting report for you along with a breakdown of the schedule:
- Louisville Cardinals
- UConn Huskies
- Purdue Boilermakers
- Virginia Cavaliers
- Wagner Seahawks
- NC State Wolfpack
- Clemson Tigers
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Pittsburgh Panthers
- Florida State Seminoles
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons
- Boston College Eagles
Of course, the main question on everyone’s mind is if Syracuse can win six+ games and get back to bowl season.
Senior Columnist Jim Stechschulte says that Syracuse will once again be home during bowl season, mostly because of an incredibly difficult schedule. Editor in chief Brad Bierman is more optimistic, and thinks that Syracuse will not only clear six wins, but ultimately end up with eight wins after a bowl win. Check out Part I, Part II and Part III of his game-by-game predictions to see why he thinks so.
Brad isn’t alone in this line of thinking. We’ve asked some other experts in the media, and former players on our weekly podcast, The Juice on the Cuse:
- Former Syracuse stars Brendan Carney and Jake Flaherty agree with Brad, and are predicting a bowl game appearance in 2022
- The last quarterback to lead Syracuse to a bowl game, Eric Dungey, is also predicting big things this season
- ESPN’s Andrea Adelson says the margin is razor thin with the difficult schedule, but is also predicting six wins for SU
- 247 Sports’ Stephen Bailey says Syracuse has its most talent team since 2018, and can make a bowl game
That should be enough to get you fully prepped for the upcoming season as Syracuse kicks off on Saturday at 8 p.m. at the JMA Wireless Dome.
For more Syracuse coverage, Like our Facebook page, follow us @TheJuiceOnline and listen to our podcast.
