We’re back in familiar territory, Syracuse Orange football fans.
Another uncompetitive loss, this time a 38-10 drubbing to No. 15 Miami, marked the sixth consecutive defeat for Fran Brown and company. We
knew it would be tough sledding after quarterback Steve Angeli’s season-ending injury in SU’s last win at Clemson, but little did we know the season would completely unravel after that.
More importantly, now at 3-7, it’s mathematically impossible for the Orange to make a bowl game. This will be the first time since the 2021 season that Otto won’t participate in the postseason, officially putting our Military Bowl hopes to rest.
In case you haven’t seen it over the past two months, here’s where we stand on the Go Bowling Military Bowl O’Meter with two games left to go.
Like the previous two weeks, let’s check out where the nation projects the rest of the ACC to fall in Bowl Season.
College Football Playoff Hopefuls
ACC Championship Game winner
After what went down last weekend, the ACC will almost certainly be a one-bid league in the CFP. No. 16 Georgia Tech (8-1) is currently the favorite per playoffstatus.com to earn the conference auto-bid after another week full of carnage. Both No. 19 Virginia (8-2) and No. 20 Louisville (7-2) laid massive eggs on their home turf, losing as touchdown-plus favorites to Wake Forest and Cal, respectively. The Cavaliers still have the inside track to a championship appearance, while the Cardinals are likely eliminated.
Higher-Tier Bowl Game Hopefuls
No. 15 Miami (7-2), No. 22 Pittsburgh (7-2), No. 20 Louisville (7-2), SMU (7-3)
As we know, the Hurricanes took care of business last week, but two conference losses likely keep them out of the ACC Championship game. The Panthers have an absolute gauntlet of a remaining schedule, but maybe College Gameday this week can get the Panthers over the hump. Louisville will have to settle in this tier, while the Mustangs still have an outside shot to crack the title game.
Lower-Tier Bowl Game Participants
Duke (5-4), Wake Forest (6-3), Cal (6-4), NC State (5-4)
It was struggle bus city for the Blue Devils, who fell on the road in a shootout to UConn (7-3) and likely dropped out of the higher-bowl game range (Ed note: Duke controls their own destiny for the ACCCG somehow). The Demon Deacons became bowl-eligible with that big upset win over UVA and could realistically finish with eight wins. Cal earned a postseason berth similarly last Saturday but might land a more exotic bowl due to its west coast geography. Finally, the Wolfpack could still miss Bowl Season altogether, but they should squeak in with a home win over Florida State or North Carolina.
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Where do you see the ACC teams falling in Bowl Season? Let us know in the comments below.
