Teams: Syracuse Orange (3-1, 1-0) vs Duke Blue Devils (2-2, 1-0)
Day & Time: Saturday, September 27, 12:00 pm
Location: JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, NY
Line: Even though the Orange are back home, Syracuse is a +5.5 underdog to Duke according to Fanduel’s odds.
TV/Streaming: ACCN, WatchESPN
Radio: Cuse.com, TK 99/105, WAER 88.3, SiriusXM 119 or 193
Rivalry: 4-1, Duke
Current Streak: 1, Duke
First Meeting: The first two meetings between Syracuse and Duke came back in 1938 and 1939 (Ed note: more on that later
today). Duke was ranked in both matchups and won both. The first was at Archbold Stadium and the then No. 7 Blue Devils shut out the Orange 21-0.
Last Meeting: The less said about this game, the better. Tommy DeVito got injured in this game and the rest of the 2020 season collapsed after Syracuse collapsed in this game. Duke won in the Dome 38-24.
Head Coaches: Syracuse: Fran Brown (second year, 13-4) | Clemson: Manny Diaz (second year, 11-7)
Coach Bio: Diaz was a three-sport athlete at Miami Country Day School but didn’t play in college. He graduated from Florida State and returned to the school later as a graduate assistant. Diaz started to gain recognition as a linebackers coach for two years and a safeties coach in two years for NC State. He left the Wolfpack for his first coordinator job manning the defense of Middle Tennessee State for four years. Diaz then took defensive coordinator jobs at Texas, Louisiana Tech and Mississippi State.
Diaz then returned to his home state of Florida to become Miami’s defensive coordinator. In his first season with the Hurricanes, Diaz won the Broyles Award for the top assistant coach in college football. His first head coaching job would come with Temple, but two weeks later, Diaz returned to Miami to take the open head coaching job left by Mark Richt’s retirement. Diaz only led Miami for three years before getting fired. He became Penn State’s defensive coordinator for two years before taking the Duke head coaching job in 2024.
Last Year: Diaz earned his most regular season wins as a head coach with nine in his first year in charge of the Blue Devils. Duke lost in the Gator Bowl to No. 14 Ole Miss to finish Diaz’s first season at the helm of the Blue Devils with a 9-4 record.
Last Game: Duke’s high-powered offense came to play against NC State, scoring six touchdowns to win a shootout 45-33.
“Fear Me, I’ve Killed Hundreds of Timelords”: Darian Mensah was one of the more high-profile transfers last year, joining Duke from Tulane. He’s already passed for 1,305 yards and 11 touchdowns in four games this year.
If Syracuse Wins: We don’t let Fran leave the Dome without him signing an extension.
If Syracuse Loses: Cameron Boozer, you are a Syracuse Orange! (That’s how it works, right?)
Fun Fact: Fran Brown is only one of five coaches in Syracuse football history to win at least 13 of their first 17 games as Orange head coach. Only Paul Pasqualoni had more with 14 wins in his first 17 games.
