With a new Syracuse Orange football season looming, we’re pleased to say that a fan favorite TNIAAM series is making its return once again to help you get ready for the new year.
At this point, the Orange are approaching the end of the regular season, now at their final road game of 2025. Syracuse is coming off playing #ByeWeekU2 following its matchup versus The U in Coral Gables, and now comes another tough test against a program Syracuse has not beat in over a decade.
Up on deck are the Notre Dame
Fighting Irish, coming off their first appearance in the College Football Championship game since the 2012* season (or 1988… if you know, you know). The Fighting Irish will once again be starting off the new season as a projected top-10 team in the country, but a lot can happen between the summer and the end of fall.
Will the luck of the Irish fall on Syracuse’s side, or is Notre Dame primed to squash the Orange in South Bend?
Here’s your preview of the Orange’s matchup versus the Fighting Irish:
What to know about the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
School: University of Notre Dame (South Bend, Indiana)
Nickname: Fighting Irish
Mascots: The Leprechaun
#BRAND Slogans: #PlayLikeAChampionToday, #WakeUpTheEchoes, #GoIrish, #BleedGreenAndGold
Alternate #BRAND Slogans: #IrishmanInSouthBendBySting, #LuckyDevil, #IndependentU
Conference: Independent
History vs. Syracuse: Syracuse is 3-8 all-time versus Notre Dame dating back to November 1914, including just one win ever in true road games. After that first ever game (20-0, ND), ‘Cuse wouldn’t play the Fighting Irish again until 1961, another loss (17-15 in South Bend). From there, the Orange had their best stretch of the series, winning three of four games between 1963 and 2008, the latter of which was in South Bend and the team’s last win over Notre Dame. Syracuse has lost its last five to Notre Dame, most recently 41-24 in 2022.
Coach: Marcus Freeman is back one more looking to keep the arrow pointing up for the program. The former Ohio State (and brief NFL) linebacker began as a graduate assistant with his alma mater in 2010. He moved on to coaching linebackers at Kent State and Purdue, then becoming co-defensive coordinator with the Boilermakers. Prior to becoming Notre Dame’s DC and then head coach, he had a multi-year stop serving as defensive coordinator for Cincinnati. Freeman took over at the very end of the 2021 season. In three full years, the Fighting Irish have produced nine-, 10- and 14-win seasons. He is 33-10 in his tenure with the Fighting Irish.
2024 Record: 14-2, College Football Championship loss
What happened last season: Notre Dame was on the cusp of being the champion last year, and that was after an earthquake of a loss early in the year.
Following a 10-point road win over a ranked Texas A&M team, Notre Dame was upset and then some by Northern Illinois at home. The Fighting Irish plummeted from 5th to 18th in the AP poll, but the team did rebound and then some the rest of the way. Notre Dame won 10 straight, nine of which were by double-digits (the only exception: 31-24 on the road versus No. 15 Louisville). The full list of opponents who fell to the Irish: Purdue, Miami (OH), Stanford, Georgia Tech, No. 24 Navy, Florida State, Virginia, No. 18 Army and USC.
Notre Dame made the inaugural College Football Playoff, getting through both Indiana and Georgia by multi-score margins of victory, then narrowly squeaking by Penn State 27-24 to advance to the title game, where the Fighting Irish came up short 34-23 versus Ohio State.
QB Riley Leonard was the main man under center. The dual-threat quarterback finished with over 2,800 yards, 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions in the air, plus another 900-plus yards and 21 TDs on the ground. RBs Jeremiah Love (163 carries for 1,125 yards and 17 TDs) and Jadarian Price (120 carries for 746 yards and seven TDs) also led the way for a rush-heavy offense. No receiver on the team finished with more than 600 yards. The leader in that category last year was WR Jaden Greathouse (592 yards and four TDs).
As usual, the defense also had some elite talent. S Xavier Watts picked off six passes and made first-team All-American. He and CB Leonard Moore each deflected double-digit passes. DL Rylie Mills recorded the most sacks for the team (7.5), while LB Jack Kiser led the position in solo tackles with 55.
What happened during the offseason: ESPN’s latest SP+ rankings has Notre Dame ranked No. 6 overall, but the team ranks just No. 61 in returning production. That said, it’s polarizing on both ends, with the Fighting Irish ranking 20th in returning defense and 89th in returning offense.
Notre Dame appears to primarily be relying on that returning production and incoming recruiting class, because the Fighting Irish only added eight commitments from the portal. 247Sports has its portal class ranked No. 58 overall, but it does include some intriguing players that could break out, like former four-star Virginia WR Malachi Fields, former three-star Wisconsin WR Will Pauling, former four-star Alabama S DeVonta Smith and former three-star Virginia Tech S Jalen Stroman.
Notre Dame’s recruiting class ranks No. 9 overall per 247Sports, with 15 of its 23 commits being four-stars. Headlining the list are five-star DL Bryce Young, four-star LB Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, four-star QB CJ Carr and four-star WR Cam Williams.
2025 season projections: FanDuel has Notre Dame tied for the seventh-best odds to win the championship game, along with LSU and Oregon. The Fighting Irish currently have an over-under of 10.5 wins, with +128 on the over and -158 on the under.
Miami opens the year with two tough tests — on the road versus the Miami Hurricanes, a bye week, then at home versus Texas A&M. Other home games are against Purdue, Boise State, NC State, USC, Navy, and ‘Cuse. The Fighting Irish will play Arkansas, Boston College, Pittsburgh and Stanford.
Game Date: Saturday, November 22nd
Location: Notre Dame Stadium
Odds of Orange Victory: 19%
Odds of “marquee game” potential: 94%
Very Early Outlook vs. Syracuse: Notre Dame enters the year with plenty of questions about its offense, mainly with replacing Leonard and once again likely having to rely on a run-heavy scheme. The Fighting Irish play Pitt the week before on the road, never a fun place to play, while ‘Cuse will have the rest advantage. It’s unlikely, but if the Fighting Irish stumble out of the gate early, maybe there’s a dip in momentum or something?
At the end of the day, it’s still Notre Dame and in South Bend. Love is going to be such a difficult talent to stop and he is at least an elite, foundational piece ND can build its offense around. Defense is also its calling card, and they’re bringing back a top-20 unit on that side of the ball. This is especially the game where not having the star linebackers from last year’s team will hurt, because Notre Dame is totally content chewing the clock and winning these games in ugly fashion.
In all honestly, this is in the ballpark for me as picking the Miami game — the opponent looks great on paper, but in November, the conversation for these highly-ranked opponents has a chance to just be totally different in August compared to three months from now. My gut feeling right now is that this is the ugliest result on the board, where Notre Dame wins like 27-10 or 24-7. And yes, Notre Dame has always had a “stupid” loss or two every year, but Freeman’s teams in three years have finished with nine wins or better, even in a “down” year.
I will be bold and say an upset for Syracuse is in store at some point in the 2025 season, but I don’t think it will be in South Bend.
