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This offseason, Syracuse football has undergone one of the biggest transformations in its history. The hiring of Fran Brown on Nov. 28, 2023, has changed the direction of the program in its recruiting style, intensity and overall legitimacy. He’s brought in plenty of talent from the transfer portal like quarterback Kyle McCord and defensive end Fadil Diggs, among others. He also helped retain Oronde Gadsden II, Marlowe Wax, LeQuint Allen Jr. and Justin Barron.

While Brown has revolutionized SU in many aspects off the field, it’s still yet to be seen if the product will translate to the gridiron. The first test to see Brown’s work in game-action comes Saturday against Ohio. The Bobcats are coming off back-to-back 10-win seasons, but have lost multiple key pieces.

Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse will fare in its season opener versus Ohio:

Aiden Stepansky (0-0)
Bobcat beat down
Syracuse 33, Ohio 13

Syracuse’s 2023 season started with as much of a layup as possible. The Orange ripped through Colgate 65-0 for one of the largest wins in team history. This season’s opener, under a different regime, poses a harder task in Ohio, but I still see SU cruising to its first win under Brown.
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While I do see McCord and the rest of the offense breaking out throughout the season, I don’t see them having as big of a day as my fellow scribe Cooper. It’s important to remember there could be some growing pains along the way. And, the Ohio defense, though overhauled in the offseason personnel-wise, ranked sixth in the nation in scoring defense. Additionally, the Bobcats allowed just three teams to score 21 points or more a season ago.

On the defensive side though, I do see a great start to the campaign for Elijah Robinson and Co. Ohio starting quarterback Parker Navarro has little college experience and the Bobcats have lost their entire receiving core. The Orange secondary is one of its strongest suits and will excel in their new 4-2-5 system.

Though I don’t see a real high-scoring affair in the season opener, the energy around this team and in the Dome will be high Saturday. The Orange will pull away at the beginning of the second half and easily secure an opening day victory, a great segway into a pivotal ACC opener versus Georgia Tech in Week 2.

Cooper Andrews (0-0)
Swag like Ohio
Syracuse 42, Ohio 17

Brown said at his first weekly Monday press conference of the regular season that he considers Ohio to be better than Syracuse. The Bobcats are coming off back-to-back 10-win seasons, while the Orange haven’t earned double-digit victories since 2018.

Without context, Brown may be right. But the first-year head coach is just being nice ahead of SU’s season-opener. Compared to Ohio, the Orange are in another stratosphere. Both programs featured plenty of turnover this past offseason. Yet, one gained McCord under center and one didn’t — a mere microcosm in the two teams’ talent differences.

All six All-MAC selections that the Bobcats had last year are now gone. Their starting quarterback over the last three seasons, Kurtis Rourke, transferred to Indiana. Their defense went from being the nation’s fourth-ranked group in 2023 to losing their defensive coordinator and their top-three tacklers. Simply put, the team Brown lauded has been utterly decimated.

Ohio is the perfect first opponent for the Orange to begin the season with. McCord will ease into SU’s offense playing against a weaker opponent. Expect Fadill Diggs and Denis Jaquez Jr. to have a field day on the edges, too. The Dome is sure to be electric for one of Syracuse’s most-hyped campaigns in a while, and all signs point to Brown’s squad delivering a victory over an unknown Bobcats side.

Justin Girshon (0-0)
Taking care of business
Syracuse 35, Ohio 17

While Brown praised Ohio before taking the sidelines as a head coach for the first time, Syracuse should have a lot of confidence heading into its season opener. The Orange not only have significantly more talent than they did a year ago, but they also should dominate on both sides of the ball against an inferior Bobcats squad.

As Aiden noted earlier, McCord and SU’s offense will take time to gel and have growing pains along the way. But this isn’t Michigan in Ann Arbor. This is Ohio traveling to the Loud House in one of the most hyped-up Syracuse games over the last decade.

Whether it’s McCord picking apart the defense or Allen Jr. running through it behind a revamped offensive line, I find it hard to believe SU won’t be able to rapidly move the ball early to set the tone for a multi-score win. On the defensive side, the Orange are revamped with playmakers in all three levels and I expect them to have their way early on as well.

After getting off to a strong start, I expect Syracuse to fully establish the run in the second half and cruise toward its fourth consecutive opening-game win.

Published on August 28, 2024 at 10:16 pm