Last February, it had been reported that the Syracuse Orange and Ohio Bobcats were working on a non-conference football game for 2022. Nearly a year later, the dates are different, but SU’s locked in Ohio for two different future schedules:
FUTURE SCHEDULE ALERT
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) February 4, 2019
Our home-and-home series with @OhioFootball is now official. The 2021 game will be the first time in 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ years that we'll play the Bobcats!
https://t.co/kXO5zldha9 pic.twitter.com/Wytc2BTXYR
As mentioned above, Syracuse will visit Ohio (based in Athens) to kick off the 2021 season. The Bobcats will return the favor in 2024, for that season’s opener — this time at home.
One would think these two squads would’ve met more often over the years, but it ends up these games will only mark the third and fourth matchups between SU and Ohio. Syracuse won both of the previous games — a 73-0 victory in 1916 and a 38-0 triumph in 1921. Perhaps that’s why they ended the series for 100 years...
There’s nothing to really complain about with this series at all. A home-and-home means there’s unlikely to be much if any money lost on the deal for Syracuse, and the Orange recruit the state of Ohio plenty. The road opener in 2021 accounts for Dome renovations and the usual lackluster New York State Fair/Labor Day vacation attendance issue. Plus this game means our 2021 schedule is now officially complete.
Ohio is no MAC pushover, having made nine bowls in the last 10 years (including the 2018 Frisco Bowl). Since Coach Frank Solich arrived in 2005, the Bobcats have had just one losing season (the first one), and have made 10 bowls in that time. They’re a tough opponent, but not necessarily tougher than the WMU team SU visited to open up this past season.
I’ve stated some issues with the Purdue series, but otherwise, Syracuse’s future schedules look pretty smart. Big thing at this point is just getting further out ahead of things — especially when it comes to the mandatory Power Five opponent. If Army counts (as the school has said they do), the Orange are good there through 2026. If not (and nothing the ACC has said indicates as much), then 2024, 2027 and 2028 all have P5 openings.
A look at the 2021 and 2024 schedules now, with Ohio added:
2021
Home: Rutgers (Sept. 11), Liberty (Sept. 25), Albany, Boston College, Clemson, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest
Away: Ohio (Sept. 4), Florida State, Louisville, NC State, Virginia Tech
2024
Home: Ohio (Aug. 31), Florida State, Louisville, Miami, NC State
Away: Army (Sept. 21), Boston College, Clemson, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest
TBD: Two opponents (at least one at home)
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