Pre-game jitters thread: No. 22 Syracuse Orange vs. Liberty Flames

The No. 22 Syracuse Orange start off the season against the Liberty Flames this evening, kicking off at 6 p.m. ET from Williams Stadium in Lynchburg, Va. Most of us will be watching on ESPN+, but there’s a lot of time until then.

As you probably figured, I’ll be watching plenty of the college football action leading up to that, and you should be too. Below, there’s a rundown of the Syracuse football articles you may have missed this week, plus a list of non-SU games to watch as you try to distract yourself from waiting for the Orange’s season to start.

• Everything you need to know for SU vs. Liberty: Game time, TV info, history, etc.
• The 2019 season is uncharted territory for Syracuse fans and media alike
• What are we drinking this week? Beer picks for CNY, Lynchburg & LA
• Dino Babers talks Orange, Flames and Tommy DeVito
• Five things to watch for when Syracuse takes on Liberty
• We’re questing for a new bowl this year, though many see the Orange Bowl in our future
• #FakeNunes returns to tell you the most important things about Syracuse vs. Liberty
• If you missed this week’s podcast, here you go
• Syracuse dons the traditional road set this week: Orange/white/orange
• Prediction time: TNIAAM picks W-L records and bowl destinations for Syracuse this year
• (More) Prediction time: TNIAAM picks the Orange over the Flames across the board

Photo by David Rosenblum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Other games you’ll want to watch today

(all times ET)

Howard Bison at Maryland Terrapins, noon (Big Ten Network)

This game’s unlikely to be THAT entertaining, though Howard did knock off UNLV a few years ago. Mostly, you’re tuning in for scouting purposes on the Terps for next week.

Toledo Rockets at Kentucky Wildcats, noon (SEC Network)

Kentucky loses a bunch after last year’s breakout season, while Toledo’s always pesky and will be anxious for an upset. This would be more enjoyable to watch UK lose during basketball season, but this’ll work just fine too.

Ole Miss Rebels at Memphis Tigers, noon (ABC)

Memphis might be the best G5 team this year, while Ole MIss could be one of the worst SEC teams. Both teams like offense, so let’s see where this goes.

Duke Blue Devils vs. Alabama Crimson Tide, 3:30 p.m. (ABC)

NSFW.

South Carolina Gamecocks vs. North Carolina Tar Heels, 3:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Mack Brown tries to start off the season with a notable win, while South Carolina looks to avoid getting behind the 8-ball early. This would be appointment television if Mack had hired GERG as his defensive coordinator. Sadly he didn’t, but some may be curious to see what UNC looks like early in this new era.

Northwestern Wildcats at Stanford Cardinal, 4 p.m. (FOX)

NU has a former five-star Clemson signee at QB, while Stanford has... a lot more blue chips on the roster given how recent classes have shaken out. Still, it’s the Wildcats that won their division last year (a fact you’d probably forgotten by now), while Stanford kind of stumbled. Will we get a reverse body clock game here? Doubtful, but an enjoyable callback nonetheless.

Virginia Tech Hokies at Boston College Eagles, 4 p.m. (ACC Network)

Boston College’s quest for seven wins and nothing more starts here with a tough home game against Virginia Tech. Are the Hokies good this year? TBD. Is Boston College? Probably not, since they lost a lot on defense and the offense is still unlikely to be great. At least AJ Dillon will still be able to walk in this one, so watch that while you still can.

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Any other games you have an eye on today? We’ll be switching this over to the GameThread about 45 minutes from Syracuse kickoff, FYI.