Penn State, Saturday Aug. 31* Carrier Dome

Syracuse faces Penn State for the first time since 2009, when the Nittany Lions topped the Orange 28-7. PSU is coming off of an 8-4 season, despite the heavy sanctions placed on the team in light of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal. The Orange has faced the Nittany Lions more than any other team in program history, playing 70 times since 1922 and every season since then until 1990, after SU joined the Big East and PSU went to the Big Ten.

*In MetLife Stadium

Northwestern, Saturday Sept. 7 Carrier Dome

The Wildcats dropped the Orange to a season-opening loss last season, despite a 482-yard, 4-touchdown performance from Ryan Nassib. It was the 10th meeting between SU and NU and evened the all-time series, dating back to 1940, at 5-5. Head coach Scott Shafer’s team looks to retake the all-time advantage facing quarterback Kain Colter, who passed for two touchdowns and ran for one in last year’s game.

Wagner, Saturday Sept. 14 Carrier Dome

Wagner head coach and athletic director Walt Hameline initiated the scheduling of this matchup, according to The Staten Island Advance. The Seahawks are a Football Championship Subdivision team, and played their first Football Bowl Subdivision opponent last season when Wagner lost 7-3 to Florida Atlantic from the Sun Belt Conference.

Questions remain whether this game will count toward Syracuse’s bowl eligibility. Deputy director of athletics and scheduler Herman Frazier told Syracuse.com that Wagner confirmed the game would. The NCAA allows one FCS game to count toward bowl eligibility each year, as long as the school gives 90 percent of its allotted 63 scholarshipsduring a “rolling two-year period.” Wagner, though, only offers 40 scholarships. Last year’s Florida Atlantic contest never became relevant, as FAU finished 3-9.

Tulane, Saturday Sept. 21 Carrier Dome

Syracuse and Tulane last met Oct. 8, 2011, in front of 23,188 in the Superdome. The Orange won 37-34 as Ross Krautman kicked the game-winning 21-yard field goal as time expired. Antwon Bailey rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries. It was the first time an SU team had played in the Superdome since Carmelo Anthony’s Orangemen won the national championship there on April 7, 2003. The Green Wave finished 2-10 last season.

Clemson, Saturday, Oct. 5 Carrier Dome

Syracuse’s Atlantic Coast Conference opening game should be one of its toughest, and certainly its hardest, in the Dome. In each of the past two seasons, the Orange has knocked off a top-15 team in the Dome, but those have come later in the season. SU will likely have a startling welcome as it goes against the Tigers, who have been the ACC’s most consistent program in recent seasons, and returns All-American quarterback Tajh Boyd and star wide receiver Sammy Watkins.

North Carolina State, Saturday, Oct. 12, Raleigh, N.C.

Syracuse makes its first trip to the heart of ACC country as it travels to Raleigh, N.C., for the first of several winnable league tilts on the road. Both teams leaned on the strength of their veteran quarterbacks – Mike Glennon for North Carolina State and Ryan Nassib for the Orange – but their departures leave big shoes to fill. This game, like so many on SU’s schedule, will come down to how quickly the inexperienced quarterbacks can develop.

Georgia Tech, Saturday, Oct. 19, Atlanta, Ga.

Syracuse’s second ACC road trip takes the Orange down to Atlanta, where it will get its first of potentially many opportunities against Georgia Tech’s vaunted triple-option attack. Though the Yellow Jackets had a pedestrian 7-7 season, they still took home the ACC Coastal Division championship after a 6-6 regular season before losing to Florida State in the conference championship game. The trip to GT is yet another winnable game for the new-look SU squad.

Wake Forest, Saturday, Nov. 2 Carrier Dome

Syracuse returns to the Dome after two weeks away to face another mediocre ACC foe in Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons failed to qualify for a bowl game last season, and their only two ACC wins came against doormats Virginia and Boston College. The Orange comes into this one off of a bye week and kicks off a grueling stretch of five games in November that takes the Orange to the end of the season.

Maryland, Saturday, Nov. 9, College Park, Md.

Syracuse starts its final third of the season with a trip to Maryland. The Terrapins went 4-8 last season and only 2-6 in conference play. They also lost their final six games of the season. Due to a rash of injuries, Maryland had no stability at the quarterback position. Five different players went under center during the season, and Maryland hit rock bottom when linebacker Shawn Petty moved to quarterback. Much like Syracuse, the Terrapins will have a quarterback competition starting with spring football practice. Maryland finished the 2012 season last in the ACC in total offense. With the Terps coming off of a bad season and having plenty of question marks heading into 2013, there’s no question this could be a good game for the Orange, despite playing on the road.

Florida State, Saturday, Nov. 16, Tallahassee, Fla.

When Syracuse travels down to Tallahassee, Fla., it’ll be in for one of its toughest games of the season. Florida State is a perennial power in the ACC. The Seminoles finished last season ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. They were first in the ACC in scoring defense and third in scoring offense. Florida State ended the year with a 12-2 record and went 7-1 in the ACC, capped with a win over Northern Illinois in the Discover Orange Bowl. FSU will have a new quarterback after EJ Manuel, who averaged 242.3 yards per game in 2012, graduated and is moving on to the NFL. Even still, the Seminoles are poised to be one of the top teams in the ACC in 2013. This is going to be a very challenging game for Syracuse.

Pittsburgh, Saturday, Nov. 23 Carrier Dome

Syracuse knows Pittsburgh well. The two announced their departures from the Big East together, and are heading to the ACC for their inaugural seasons at the same time. The Orange beat the Panthers 14-13 in a Friday night game this past season. Pittsburgh finished last season 6-7, 3-4 in the Big East. The Panthers will have a new quarterback after Tino Sunseri graduated. This is a winnable game for the Orange, especially since it’s at home. Pittsburgh is not going into the ACC with the same momentum Syracuse is, so the Panthers could struggle in their first season in a competitive conference. While the Orange will also have a number of new starters on both sides of the ball, SU beat Pitt last year, knows the Panthers’ schemes and has the advantage of playing in the Dome.

Boston College, Saturday, Nov. 30 Carrier Dome

Syracuse closes out the regular season against former Big East foe Boston College. The Eagles had a miserable season last year — they finished 2-10 and went just 1-7 in the ACC. BC finished 11th in the ACC in scoring offense and ninth in scoring defense. The Eagles ranked near the bottom of the conference in almost every category. The season ended with the firing of head coach Frank Spaziani and the hiring of former Temple head coach Steve Addazio. Syracuse beat Addazio’s Owls 38-20 down in Philadelphia to close out this past regular season. Hosting a struggling Boston College team in the final game of the regular season is big for Syracuse, and with Pitt the week before, the Orange could finish the year 2-0. If Syracuse still needs one or two wins for bowl eligibility at this point, the Orange has a cushion the last two weeks of the season.

Published on February 27, 2013 at 12:16 am