Way too early thoughts on the 2022 Syracuse Football Schedule

You may have picked up that the Syracuse Orange released their 2022 football schedule last night. That of course means that the staff here at TNIAAM has thoughts. While we may have lost our schedule-guru-in-residence to the powers that be, there are still plenty of things that need to be discussed.

What are your initial takeaways from this release?

Kevin

The Orange better start fast next Fall. It won’t be easy but if you play four of the first five at home you need to get wins. We all know the pressure is on to get to a bowl game but it won’t be easy with this schedule.

Steve

The bye is in as good a spot as any, assuming Dino doesn’t Dino it coming out of the week. Having Wagner just before gives a non-con, hopefully lighter week to stay healthy and recover before the mess of that middle of the schedule.

Andy

All things considered, this is about as good of a break as you could get based on who is on the schedule. Getting Louisville and UVA early is probably better than later, and pushing Wagner gives the Orange a midseason chance to right things if they go off the rails early.

Christian

The hope for this schedule is that the relatively “light” part of the season is upfront, meaning that the offense and the transfers should have ample time to get familiar with the new systems in place. The back half after the bye is brutal, so Syracuse needs to be prepared to tackle that.

What’s one home game and one away game to put on the calendar in pen?

Kevin

For the away game I’d say Boston College. It’s a throwback to Big East days to see the Orange in Chestnut Hill on Thanksgiving Weekend...now we just need to get Diamond Ferri on the sideline that day. I’ll assume I’m the outlier here but I’d want to be at the Purdue game because it could be all about the offenses that day.

Steve

For the home slate, I’ve got to go FSU on senior night. It’s a winnable game and these seniors (and super seniors (and super-super seniors)) deserve a good sendoff. For away, I’m with Kevin. Maybe we’re the old folks around here, but that BC game seems as good as any to circle on the calendar for a good old fashioned northeast rivalry game.

Andy

Notre Dame. It may not be “winnable” but it’s late enough in the year we’ll have a good idea what the Orange’s recipe for success will be, and there’s no doubt the Dome will be sold out. We’ve seen less an amazing top 10 teams struggle in the Dome in those circumstances, so if Notre Dame is merely “Good,” and not a playoff contender, there’s a chance for something weird to happen.

Christian

The home game that interests me the most is Virginia. While we’ll get to the main reasons later, the game should serve as a litmus test to see how far the Syracuse players have settled into the Orange system. For the road, the Clemson game should also serve as a barometer to how Syracuse reacts to a road environment and could set the tempo for how the Orange play in their brutal road schedule in the second half of the season.

Was this Virginia matchup put under the Friday Night Lights just for Anae and Beck?

Kevin

That’s a nice job by the ACC to pick up on a storyline and use the Friday night slot for a compelling conference game.

Steve

It’s way too much of a coincidence to not be foretold by the ACC gods... of scheduling

Andy

Honestly it’s the ACC doing a solid job guaranteeing that regardless of the record of both teams, there’s a clear narrative around that game to market aside from Brennan Armstrong.(Like what we saw with the Liberty game, where Malik Willis was the only thing it seemed the crew had prepped.)

Christian

If it wasn’t thought about during the schedule making, its a wonderful coincidence. The fact that Brennan Armstrong also stayed at Virginia adds to the intrigue of the game.

What’s the toughest 3-5 game stretch of this schedule?

Kevin

NC State, Clemson, Notre Dame, Pitt. I think I need an ice bath after typing those schools so the Orange are going to be lucky if they come out of it in reasonably good health.

Steve

That juggernaut of an NC State, Clemson, Notre Dame and Pitt seems to make or break any bowl chances that this team has. If they don’t head into that stretch with a good number of wins it’s going to be rough.

Andy

I’ll be different and say @Pitt, FSU, @Wake, and @BC to end the year. The Orange has not played well against Pitt on the road since Heinz Field was build, Wake is not a team that makes many mistakes at home, FSU is the biggest wild card on the schedule, and ending the year in what could be a bowl or bust game on the road screams trouble for a program who doesn’t play well on the road.

Christian

Everyone is saying NC State, Clemson, Notre Dame and Pitt for good reason. That stretch isn’t just the toughest, it could define the Orange’s fate at the end of the season.

What’s your way-too-early prediction on wins and losses?

Kevin

I think Syracuse is on the cusp of turning things around however this schedule set-up is difficult. It seems like the Orange might take a few weeks to hit their stride which means they need to finish strong. Right now it might be the worst possible scenario of a second straight 5-7 record with a competitive team showing growth.

Steve

We knew this was going to be a tough one. I think the Orange made the right moves in the offseason and I think the chance to go bowling is real. We’ll have to start out real hot or make some waves with an upset, but I’ll go 6-6 on the year.

Andy

There’s a path for pretty much any outcome from 2 wins to 6 wins, so I’m going to settle in the middle at 4-8 until we see Spring Ball performances that show the Orange can come out blazing to start the year.

Christian

2-10.

...

I’m just kidding (hopefully). I’m going 5-7 mainly because the road schedule is absolutely brutal. The Orange have shown that they play much better in the Dome so there’s room to steal an upset win there but Syracuse’s shortcomings away from home could be their doom once again.