5-7 possibilities aside, the Syracuse Orange have to win-out in order to confirm bowl eligibility for the season. Unfortunately for them, they picked a bad opponent to have to try and start that two-game win streak against. The No. 17 Florida State Seminoles (7-3) might not be as mighty as previous FSU incarnations but they’re still FSU. The same school that has beaten SU 59-3, 38-20, and 45-21 since becoming conference-mates.
The Orange will find out whether or not things might be different for them this time around on 3:30 p.m. Eastern on Saturday. The game will be televised on ABC or ESPN2, depending on your market.
Lose and the Orange have to defeat Pitt in the final game of the season and hope for there’s enough open bowl slots for them to qualify based on APR score. Win and at least you’ve got that in your back pocket next week.
Of course, that’s already easier said than done, let alone when you factor in that Eric Dunget is “probably doubtful” for the game. While Zack Mahoney is competant, he’s just not on the same level as Dungey and the Orange showed his this weekend how much they miss their No. 1 signal-caller. Next week won’t be easier.