Notre Dame-No. 16 Syracuse: Will Irish pull minor upset?
Notre Dame travels to No. 16 Syracuse in a game that has gotten a lot more compelling than it appeared a few short months ago. Notre Dame entered the year ranked in the top five and although we know that was a mistake by voters now, this is a team that certainly possesses top-25 talent although they haven’t met it with any consistency.
Syracuse on the other hand entered the year trying to save Dino Babers job as his seat appeared as warm as any in the nation. All the Orange have done is start the season 6-0 before giving up a fourth-quarter lead last week at No. 5 Clemson.
What will happen this Saturday as Notre Dame heads to upstate New York for just their second trip to Syracuse’s dome since it opened in 1980?
Here is what the Fighting Irish Wire staff sees happening.
Geoffrey Clark (4-3):
Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
I’m surprised how many are picking the Irish given how their season has gone and how the Orange looked almost unstoppable up until last week. When I look at this matchup, I see the Orange being better in pretty much every significant category, including defense. The Irish’s best hope is to have drives last as long as possible and avoid penalties, both of which they’re pretty good at. However, even those might not be enough if the Orange hit their stride, which I think they will.
Syracuse 39, Notre Dame 24
Michael Chen (4-3):
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
First off, I hope you are fading my picks. I’ve been absolutely terrible this season. Now let’s get to the matchup. The last time the Irish faced off against a ranked opponent, they got a very solid victory against BYU. That gave them two wins over currently ranked foes (North Carolina the other), a solid number to hang their hat on. Syracuse is coming off a less-than-impressive loss, albeit to an undefeated Clemson team. The Irish are better than their record and are slight dogs which is a good sign. The Orangemen are coming off the aforementioned difficult loss to Clemson, a Tiger hangover should happen. This mix has me thinking “upset” and the Irish return home with another win over a ranked team.
Notre Dame 31 Syracuse 21
John Kennedy (5-2):
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Would Irish fans like the good news or the bad news first? The good news, Notre Dame has played their best football this year in this type of game. Away against a respectable opponent. The bad news? They play poorly at home and that is unsettling. We will re-address this issue next week. Orange QB Garrett Shrader will make some plays with his arm as well as some with his legs that are going to need to be contained. He is quick to take off and good at doing so. The Irish will try and lean on the run game especially after seeing the success Clemson had in doing so last week. This game won’t help anyone’s blood pressure levels, but the Irish squeak it out and hope live again.
Notre Dame 31, Syracuse 28
Jeff Feyerer (5-2):
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
One of these games has to be an easy win eventually, right? One of these games has to look like the team we thought we were getting prior to the season. A team most figured would still be in playoff contention at this juncture of the season comes off a lackluster performance against UNLV only to travel to Syracuse and face a team who sits 5-1. The Orange have not played a difficult schedule thus far, but have been impressive nonetheless showcasing quarterback Garrett Shrader and running Sean Tucker on offense and a defense that is 7th in the nation in points allowed per game. The Syracuse defense was shredded on the ground by Clemson last game, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dino Babers adjust and make Drew Pyne beat them. The Irish are going to need a few things to happen in this one in order to get a victory. They need their full stable of running backs to contribute, including Audric Estime who was benched after fumbling last week. All three bring different things to the table and provide different looks. Pyne is going to need to hit a deep shot at an integral moment, which he hast yet to do with any semblance of consistency this season. And the Irish defensive front, like it has before, will need to be the tone-setter for the team. While I won’t be mortgaging my house on this prediction, I remain confident the Irish can pull out a win.
Notre Dame 27, Syracuse 23
Nick Shepkowski (5-2):
Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
I wouldn’t consider myself an optimist by default but I like how this game sets up for Notre Dame. Syracuse allowed over 300 yards on the ground last week at Clemson and hasn’t gotten any healthier on their defensive front. Syracuse will make life difficult on Drew Pyne, yes, even more, difficult than he makes it on himself, but the offense will find what they need on the ground. Life in this dome proves better than life under the golden one back home has often this year.
Notre Dame 20, Syracuse 17
