Syracuse football to face five pre-season AP Poll Top 25 opponents

The AP pre-season football poll was released on Monday and no, the Syracuse Orange did not receive any votes. However, five of Syracuse’s 2022 opponents are ranked.

We talked about the difficult stretch that the Orange will face after their bye week but now let’s look at it based on these rankings.

October 15th vs #13 NC State Wolfpack

October 22nd at #4 Clemson Tigers

October 29th vs #5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish

November 5th at #17 Pittsburgh Panthers

Then following a home game against Florida State, the Orange are on the road to face the #22 Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Five out of six games against ranked teams and the one that is supposed to be the “breather” is Florida State.

Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Even the early season looks challenging for this Syracuse squad. The opening game will pit the Orange against ESPN’s choice as the ACC’s best quarterback (Malik Cunningham) while the third game brings a Purdue Boilermakers squad which received enough votes to place them 34th in the AP poll.

The Orange are going to have to find a way to start strong this season as the middle stretch would be a challenge for any squad, especially one looking to avoid another season without a bowl invite.