We’re quickly approaching the end of the line for Syracuse Orange football season.
The bad news is Syracuse won’t be participating in Bowl Season for the first time since 2021. The good news is Fran Brown’s
team didn’t lose last week for the first time since… SU’s previous bye week.
Sitting at 3-7, another extremely uphill battle awaits on Saturday in South Bend against No. 9 Notre Dame. Unfortunately, it might be officially basketball season in the 315.
Our Go Bowling Military Bowl O’Meter remains stagnant for the eighth consecutive week:
There’s not much left to say about the Orange, so let’s check out where the rest of the ACC falls in postseason play with two weeks left in the regular season.
College Football Playoff Hopefuls
ACC Championship Game winner
Barring a miracle, the conference will have only one team participating in the CFP… its autobid recipient. No. 19 Virginia(9-2) was the biggest winner by far last week, taking down Duke convincingly, 34-17, on the road as near-touchdown underdogs. It got way too close for comfort over in Chestnut Hill, but a late field goal helped No. 16 Georgia Tech (9-1) squeak by Boston College to remain in first place in the conference standings. A lot can change, but the Cavaliers and Yellow Jackets are currently the clear favorites to play in the conference title game.
Higher-Tier Bowl Game Hopefuls
No. 13 Miami (8-2), Pittsburgh (7-3), SMU (7-3), Wake Forest (7-3)
The Hurricanes continue to roll but still need a ton of help to make the title game with their two conference losses. Pitt failed to capitalize on a massive opportunity against Notre Dame and would need to beat Miami and GT to crack the championship game. There’s still a sliver of hope for the Mustangs, who could make things interesting if they finish 9-3, while the Demon Deacons dismantled UNC and are set up nicely for a primetime bowl slot.
Lower-Tier Bowl Game Participants
Louisville (7-3), Cal (6-4), Duke (5-5), Clemson (5-5),
Despite a good-looking record, the Cardinals are currently in free-fall mode, having lost back-to-back home games. There’s a real chance they finish 7-5, which would definitely put them in this tier. Cal remained idle while the Blue Devils erased any hopes of a CFP bid with the aforementioned loss to UVA. Dabo Swinney somehow got his Tigers up from off the mat with two straight wins, and a Saturday matchup against Furman will have Clemson in the picture.
Should be in
Florida State (5-5), NC State (5-5)
These two play each other this weekend, so someone will get in with a win. The Wolfpack play the Tar Heels in their season finale, so I’ll hesitantly give both them and the Seminoles the nod for now.
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Where do you think the rest of the league will end up in postseason play? Let us know in the comments below.
