Syracuse Orange vs. UConn Huskies: Pre-game jitters thread

The Syracuse Orange (3-0, 1-0) are back in action this Saturday for what should be an eventful game against the Connecticut Huskies (1-2, 0-1). On top of UConn coming to town, it’s also Military Appreciation Day and SU will be honoring former star running back Joe Morris (read more about Morris here). So yeah, a full afternoon ahead...

Things get started at 4 p.m. ET at the Carrier Dome. And if you’re not in attendance, you’re watching on ESPNews/WatchESPN.

Perhaps “jitters” isn’t the right word given the Vegas line of 27.5 points. But nonetheless, we have a little bit before the game starts. So here are some links to check out beforehand:

• Everything you need to know about Syracuse vs. Connecticut: Channel, history, time, etc.
• What are we drinking for today’s game?
• Andy provides five things to watch in this matchup between SU and UConn
• We asked our... “friends” at the UConn Blog some questions about the Huskies
• And we also answered some questions over there, too
• Uniforms: Blue/orange/blue, with a camo ‘S’ decal
• This is a podcast about this game (really, it is)
• TNIAAM’s predictions: Where we pick Syracuse across the board

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Also, if you’re hanging out here for a bit, some games to catch in the early afternoon block (all times ET):

Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Wake Forest Demon Deacons, noon (ABC)

Two future SU foes. Wake’s offense looks great but defense could be questionable. The opposite is true of Notre Dame.

Boston College Eagles at Purdue Boilermakers, noon (ESPN2)

BC’s rumbled through two overmatched foes and Wake so far, and is now ranked for the first time in awhile. Purdue lost to EMU. The Eagles look to get to 4-0.

Buffalo Bulls at Rutgers Scarlet Knights, noon (BTN)

Buffalo’s offense has been on fire, and Rutgers got smoked by Kansas last week. This should be interesting to watch.

Pittsburgh Panthers at North Carolina Tar Heels, 12:20 p.m. (ACCNE)

UNC gets some of its suspended players back, so we’ll see if they’re actually flaming garbage. Pitt looked alright against a Georgia Tech team that could be bad. Hard to say. This game won’t necessarily confirm or deny anything for either team.

Louisville Cardinals at Virginia Cavaliers, 12:30 p.m. (ACCNE)

UL’s been sleep walking for two straight weeks, while UVA’s looking to prove last year’s hot start was no fluke. If the Cards lose to Virginia by a significant amount, resist the urge to count November’s game against Louisville as an easy win (if you can).

At the 3:30 p.m. timeslot, you can take a look at these games, too. But don’t get overly invested since you’ll only be watching for 30 minutes:

• Texas A&M Aggies at Alabama Crimson Tide (CBS)
• Clemson Tigers at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (ABC)
• Virginia Tech Hokies at Old Dominion Monarchs (CBSSN)
• Florida International Panthers at Miami Hurricanes (ESPN2)
• N.C. Central Eagle at Duke Blue Devils (ACCNE)
• Northern Illinois Huskies at Florida State Seminoles (ESPNU)

Gamethread will be up 30 minutes before kickoff. Enjoy the afternoon!