First four 2026 Syracuse football games now have start times

The ACC and its TV partners have released the bulk of the kickoff times for games in September, including two Orange home games.

Sep 9, 2023; Syracuse, New York, USA; Detailed view of an end zone pylon with the Atlantic Coast Conference logo and Syracuse Orange logo prior to the game against the Western Michigan Broncos at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Syracuse football fans planning on attending any of the first four games of the season, now have a few more details to help in finalizing logistics, while the remaining eight games will likely fall in the normal 12-day windows for games to be assigned by their conference and TV partners.

The ACC on Wednesday released the kickoff times of some 40 games covering the month of September, including the Orange opener against New Hampshire and the first ACC home game against Cal, both in the Dome, a weeknight tough tilt at Pitt, and a tricky road game at Connecticut to begin October.

A five week gap between home games means the need for a fast start in the Dome

If FCS games are going to remain a reality, then the best spot to play that opponent is in the season opener, when there are likely to be more mistakes than usual, and a little more leeway to absorb them.

Theis season's FCS matchup versus New Hampshire (Sept. 5) will be a 12:00 p.m. kickoff on ACC Network, so it looks like the Orange will not have any of their football games on ACCNX (streaming only) this season with how the other non-conference games shake out (see below).

Currently, Syracuse has only one future game scheduled against a FCS opponent, Morgan State in the 2029 campaign. We wonder if that game will ever end up being contested or canceled with a nominal buyout.

In Week 2, the 'Cuse opens up its 14th season as a member of the ACC, hosting Cal in the Dome (Sept. 12) with a 3:30 kickoff, It will mark the Bears second football appearance (1967) on the Syracuse campus. The game is being played on the second day of the Jewish Holiday of Rosh Hashanah, with a mid-afternoon (ET) start.

After the Cal game, SU will not be back in the Dome until an October 17 meeting with Louisville. That will follow a road game on a Thursday night at Pitt (Sept. 17), and the lone open week of the season (Sept. 26).

The road game at Connecticut will have a third school in the background

Following the early-placed open week (best to have it closer to the midway point, not after only three games played), the Orange head over to East Hartford to face UConn (Oct. 3) with a 12:00 p.m. kickoff on CBS Sports Network (non-ESPN rights game).

The number of key personnel on both sides of this matchup will have a distinct flavor of their former school - the Toledo Rockets.

For Syracuse, incoming athletic director Bryan Blair will be watching in hopes of his new school defeating his former head coach's (Jason Candle) new school, led by a defensive effort from his new program's defensive coordinator (Vince Kehres) coaching against his former boss now leading the Huskies.

Updated 2026 Syracuse Football Schedule (home games in all caps-all times Eastern)

September 5 - NEW HAMPSHIRE - 12:00 p.m. (ACC Network)

September 12 - CALIFORNIA - 3:30 p.m. (ACC Network)

September 17 - at Pittsburgh - 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Septemeber 26 - OPEN WEEK

October 3 - at Connecticut - 12:00 p.m. (CBS Sports Network)

October 10 - at Virginia - TBA

October 17 LOUISVILLE - TBA

October 24 - at North Carolina - TBA

October 31 - SMU - TBA

November 7 - CLEMSON - TBA

November 14 - at North Carolina State - TBA

November 21 - at Boston College - TBA

November 28 - NOTRE DAME - TBA

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