Syracuse Football 2026 Schedule Outlook and Analysis

The Good

In terms of the teams the Orange play early, it's not all that bad. On a neutral field, or in Syracuse, the team could or would win most of the games.

Overall, road games at UConn, North Carolina, and Boston College aren't bad, but ...

The Bad

Road games. Sooooooo, many road games.

There are only six, but they're jam-packed into a nine-game run, with Syracuse going more than a month in the first half of the season without playing at home, with three straight road games and four in five.

If that wasn't enough, there are two more in November before playing ... Notre Dame.

What ACC Teams Syracuse Will Miss

Duke, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest.

The ACC is relatively even from top to bottom, so there will be a few teams you'd like to miss, but can't. Missing Miami, Duke, Florida State, and Georgia Tech is pretty good.

Syracuse’s Best and Worst Case Scenarios in 2026

Best Case: The Orange win at Pitt

They come out roaring with ACC wins over Cal and Pitt on the way to a 4-0 start. That's enough of a base to at least get to a bowl game, as they take care of home enough for a few good wins, and pull off a road win, like at Boston College.

Worst Case: The Orange lose at UConn

Not only does Syracuse drop the ACC opener against Cal, but it whiffs at Pitt, and then things go off the rails with a loss at UConn. That sets a horrible tone, making it a battle just to get back to the three wins of last year.

Syracuse Football 2026 Schedule

Sept 5 New Hampshire
Sept 12 Cal
Sept 17 at Pitt
Sept 26 OPEN DATE
Oct 3 at UConn
Oct 10 at Virginia
Oct 17 Louisville
Oct 24 at North Carolina
Oct 31 SMU
Nov 7 Clemson
Nov 14 at NC State
Nov 21 at Boston College
Nov 28 Notre Dame  

Games That Will Decide Syracuse’s Season

1. Cal, Sept. 12. With all the road games coming up next, the Orange have to take the home wins where they can, especially early on.

2. SMU, Oct. 31. (This might be played on Friday night.) If Syracuse doesn't win this, there's a problem with a nasty November coming up.

3. Louisville, Oct. 17. Again, Syracuse has to take advantage of every possible home game. This is the oasis in a desert of road dates.