Syracuse football: CBS predicts Orange to have rough 2026 season

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CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 20: Steve Angeli #9 of the Syracuse Orange points to the crowd after they score a touchdown against the Clemson Tigers during the first quarter at Memorial Stadium on September 20, 2025 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Katie Januck/Getty Images) | Getty Images

Over the weekend, CBS Sports college football analyst Brad Crawford released his game-by-game predictions for every ACC team heading into the upcoming season, offering an early look at how he believes the conference race will unfold.

As part of his projections, Crawford mapped out the outcome of each game on Syracuse’s schedule, and his forecast suggests the Orange are in line for a season that closely mirrors last year’s campaign.

While Syracuse has generated optimism throughout the offseason with quarterback Steve Angeli progressing from his injury last season, Crawford remains skeptical that the Orange will take any step forward against the coast-to-coast ACC schedule.

Here are Brad Crawford’s official predictions for Syracuse this season:

• Saturday, Sept. 5 – vs. New Hampshire (12 pm) W
• Saturday, Sept. 12 – vs. California (3:30 pm) L
• Thursday, Sept. 17 – @ Pittsburgh (7:30 pm) L
• Saturday, October 3 – @ Connecticut (12 pm) W
• Saturday, October 10 – @ Virginia (TBD) L
• Saturday, October 17 – vs. Louisville (TBD) L
• Saturday, October 24 – @ North Carolina (TBD) L
• Saturday, October 31 – vs. SMU (TBD) L
• Saturday, November 7 – vs. Clemson (TBD) L
• Saturday, November 14 – @ NC State (TBD) L
• Saturday, November 21 – @ Boston College (TBD) W
• Saturday, November 28 – vs. Notre Dame (TBD) L

If this were the case, the Orange would once again end up 3-9 on the season, go 1-8 in ACC play and miss a bowl game for the second consecutive season.

Here was his description as to why he felt like the Orange would struggle again next year:

“Fran Brown has never shied away from outside noise, and there’s plenty of it surrounding Syracuse this season, or the lack thereof. After exceeding expectations early in his tenure, skeptics believe the Orange are due for another step back after last year’s 3-9 collapse. That kind of doubt should serve as fuel for Brown, whose confidence and recruiting success have already changed the program’s perception. The Orange must figure out early who they want to be on both sides of the football since the league slate is unrelenting.”

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Regardless of last season’s final record, this projection feels pretty pessimistic for this Syracuse team that could be in a much better position entering the new season.

Heading into last year, the biggest concern surrounding the Orange was a schedule that featured nearly all of their toughest matchups on the road. Syracuse quickly quieted some of those doubts with a statement road win over Clemson, but injuries soon took their toll, and the team was never able to regain the momentum it built early in the season.

This year presents a different outlook. Several of Syracuse’s most challenging games will be played at home, giving the Orange a more favorable path than they had a season ago. If Angeli can build on the flashes he showed early last year and provide consistent play under center, Syracuse has the talent to exceed expectations and compete for more wins than many are projecting.

For now, though, the Orange enter the season with plenty of skeptics. Whether those doubts are justified will ultimately be decided on the field, but Syracuse will have no shortage of motivation as it looks to prove the preseason predictions wrong.

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What do you think about this projection? Accurate or harsh?

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