Syracuse Football: How Did Orange Opponents Fare in Week 6?

We can sit around and pretend the Syracuse Orange didn't play this past Saturday -- hell, I'd prefer to do that. But regardless of your thoughts on the team's loss to USF, Orange opponents were on the field this past weekend winning and losing their own respective games. Below, check out the results from all 12 SU opponents (including USF), to gauge how past and future outcomes are shaping up.

Rhode Island 20, Delaware 0

In game six, Rhode Island finally notched its first victory of the season -- an impressive effort against the Fightin' Blue Hens. Paul Mroz has still yet to find himself within this Rhody offense, and as a result, the team's been pushing Harold Cooper and the run game. The back finally broke out on Saturday for 123 yards and a score. Let's see if they can salvage this season a bit.

Wake Forest 3, Boston College 0

Do we need to talk about this game past this image? Ugly from start to finish, this game had both teams seeming willing to give it away until the very last second. Boston College is shut out for the second time on the year, and now drops to 0-3 in league play. Wake, on the other hand, is only getting better on defense. And the offense -- believe it or not -- is vastly improved. Just because this was unwatchable doesn't mean either squad's bad. We already saw what the Deacons can do to us. We'll have to wait a couple months to see what the Eagles can or can't do against the Orange.

Western Michigan 41, Central Michigan 39

Central was down big at one point, but roared back in the fourth, only to lose by two to the rival Broncos. Cooper Rush was great once again, with 321 passing yards and four TDs in the defeat. Like was saw against SU, the CMU defense is susceptible to breaking against aggressive play-calling. And the offense is also willing to fight until the final whistle. This may or may not be a bowl team by year's end, but they do seem talented enough to be one.

LSU 45, South Carolina 24

LSU's "road" game in Baton Rouge went as well as any other for the Tigers so far. The team just methodically took the Gamecocks apart, this time through both the run and pass, and skated to a mindless victory. That's not to take anything away from LSU either. It's crazy how effortlessly they win games week in and week out. But the schedule DOES get tougher soon, and those sleepy afternoons need to focus a whole lot more if they're going to keep winning.

Pittsburgh 26, Virginia 19

Literally nothing learned about either team in this game. Pitt looked good for large patches of the contest, and the entire offense seemed to make strides too. But they also had just enough problems on both sides of the ball to make you wonder, too. For Virginia, the offense still appears to be a mess (though the passing game has moments), and the defense is bending a little too much of late. These are Syracuse's next two opponents, by the way. So we'll know where we stand with regard to both in short order.

Florida State 29, Miami 24

For the 'Noles, it's all about "survive and advance" since the start of 2014. And outside of one fateful afternoon at the Rose Bowl, they've succeeded every single time. The team's biggest weapon is Dalvin Cook, and even when injured, he still finds a way to pick up over 220 yards on the ground. If the Orange have any shot against them on Halloween (unlikely...), it starts and ends with finding a way to stop him.

Louisville: Bye Week

Louisville's arguably the conference's biggest enigma. Three close losses to start the year, then two wins (one over NC State) right after that. FSU's up next. Lose and... all we'll probably know for sure is that they're a four-loss team.

Clemson 43, Georgia Tech 24

First, Georgia Tech's offense has fallen off a cliff. Second, Clemson's defense was happy to take advantage of that while the offense casually put up 43 points just the same. Deshaun Watson hasn't been the worldbeater folks thought he'd be, but his numbers are still more than respectable, especially through the air. As a scheduling note, Syracuse faces the Tigers at home the week following Clemson's matchup with Florida State (the de facto Atlantic Division title game).

Virginia Tech 28, NC State 13

Avert your eyes. NC State was pretty thoroughly knocked around by the previously-struggling Hokies on Friday night, and it never really looked close. The run game -- the strength of the team during the non-conference schedule -- has fallen off a cliff, and the same goes for Jacoby Brissett's accuracy as the Pack fail to involve the wide receivers properly. Considering how poorly Tech was playing on offense (and overall) in previous weeks too, this is a bit concerning for State's bowl chances. Lots of football to play still before SU heads down there in late November.

Syracuse Opponent W-L in Week 6: 7-4 (including USF)

Overall Opponent W-L for 2015: 38-28