We thought the 2026 Syracuse Orange football schedule would feature a game against Notre Dame. While the location of the game was unclear, it now appears that the game itself might not happen next season.
A report from Irish Illustrated Insider indicates that the Fighting Irish are going to have their 2026 schedule revised.
In case you didn’t watch, the report is that Notre Dame will drop one of their road games against ACC opponents, which means either Syracuse or North Carolina. Would ABC/ESPN want the Steve Angeli revenge game or Belichick vs the Fighting Irish for ratings?
So if the Notre Dame game is moved, where would that leave the Orange? A list on FBS Schedules shows the following schools in need of a FBS opponent in 2026 (h/t Mike Ostrowski for noticing this):
- Illinois- game with Missouri reportedly cancelled and Syracuse could play them for the exclusive use of Nike’s Orange and Blue template
- USC- needs one more game and doesn’t play FCS opponents.
- South Carolina- game with Miami was reportedly cancelled
- Texas A&M- game with Tarleton State was cancelled so probably will fill with FCS opponent
- Temple- game at Coastal Carolina was cancelled and Fran Brown’s former school has three home OOC games scheduled
- Memphis- game against Arkansas was cancelled
- Oregon State
- San Diego State
- Washington State (the uncertainty of the PAC 12 schedule means these teams could be looking to fill games)
Something to keep an eye on would be that Stanford also needs a game and like NC State and Virginia this year, it’s possible to schedule a non-conference game with an ACC opponent.
If it is Syracuse who gets dropped by Notre Dame- do you try and get a big name to sell tickets for a home game, or do you look for a game that would be more likely to be a win?.
Right now this is what the Syracuse schedule looks like:
Home: New Hampshire, Toledo, California, Clemson, Louisville, SMU
Away: UConn, Boston College, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Virginia
Who would be your preference from this list?
