But first, a little trivia to start: Did you know, Syracuse is 5-1 in weekday games since 2012? That doesn't even include bowl wins over that time span!
And now, the attention-grabbing question: Is this it the worst season opener ever?
(That means hype or buzz surrounding the game, not in terms actual game results.)
Okay, I know I've complained about this enough, and I do want to try and stay positive about Syracuse's season opener against Villanova this Friday night. So I might as well look at the bright side(s), right?
And first and foremost, or shiniest I suppose, be the opponent FCS or FBS, or Section III for that matter, we are just days away from real live football action. And coming off a fairly successful 2013, this season should be pretty entertaining, at the least. In fact, I'm about to make an extremely bold prediction on just how many wins this Orange outfit will earn in 2014 (stay tuned for my possible bold, possibly blind prediction later this week). That's reason enough to be amped for Friday.
Along the same note, in looking at Syracuse's season-opening games over the last two decades, maybe something of a creampuff-start is exactly what the doctor ordered? Plus, as pointed out, the Orange seems to be a lock on non-Saturday game days over the last couple of years. Sure, there's likely to be more bleacher than fan come kickoff, but at the end of it all, this really is the closest thing to a guaranteed W for SU this season. And it also will be one more victory closer to yet another bowl trip.
Yet, that's really the crux of all of this, that projecting ahead is probably the biggest reason to be excited about Friday. It's certainly not the opponent, which is nothing of a draw like in years past.
Just look at the last decade's opener opponents for starters.
- 2004: at Purdue (Run for your life, Joe Fields!)
- 2005: West Virginia
- 2006: at Wake Forest
- 2007: Washington
- 2008: at Northwestern
- 2009: Minnesota
- 2010: at Akron
- 2011: Wake Forest
- 2012: Northwestern
- 2013: Penn State* (New Jersey)