How ACC scheduling changes affect Syracuse

Whether it ends up being nine leagues games to match the Big Ten, SEC, and Big 12, or stays as is at eight, it is apparent that the days of playing too many early-season, uneven matchups are likely winding down as SU's future schedules figure to get tougher each season.

Sep 9, 2023; Syracuse, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange director of athletics John Wildhack prior to the game Western Michigan Broncos at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

With the SEC confirming on August 21 a move to a nine game football schedule beginning with the 2026 season, the ACC has decisions to make.

Conference athletic directors met last month with commissioner Jim Phillips and company on the hot topic, and the league is either going to follow suit and figure out the math (17 teams can not play nine games) to make what currently does not work, work, or stay at 17 teams plus Notre Dame and have each team upgrade its non-conference strength of schedule.

The current future opponents list for Syracuse features a lot of Notre Dame and a little Penn State

Let's say the ACC were to adopt a model of eight league games, plus a mandatory two games against Power 4 conference members, leaving two games to be played against the rest of the FBS (American, C-USA, MAC, MWC, Pac-12, Sunbelt, Independents (ironically UConn), it leaves a few questions.

First, according to the university, here are Syracuse football's future known OOC opponents by year:

2026 - New Hampshire, Toledo, Notre Dame, at UConn

2027 - at Penn State, at UConn

2028 - Penn State

2029 - Morgan State, Notre Dame, at Toledo

2034 and 2037 - Notre Dame, at Notre Dame

Notes: Next year's Notre Dame game is shown as a home game on both ND's and SU's websites, so something is changing. All ACC home/away pairings (eight games) have been determined for Syracuse through the 2030 season.

The aforementioned questions surround first, where the Notre Dame games fit in? The Irish play five ACC teams per season. At a minimum it is one of the games against a Power 4 program that would have to be added to bolster strength of schedule for future at-large College Football Playoff consideration.

It also figures that the "pay-to-play" games against FCS opponents could be coming to an end. Currently the 'Cuse has FCS foes - Colgate upcoming Sept. 12, New Hampshire in 2026, and Morgan State in 2029, on the docket.

What might a future Syracuse football schedule look like?

If the ACC changes were implemented for 2026, for example, requiring league teams to play two Power 4 programs, plus two other FBS teams, in addition to eight conference games (SU hosts Cal, Clemson, Louisville, and SMU, and travels BC, Pitt, North Carolina, and Virginia) here are the non-ACC changes for SU:

*Buy out the New Hampshire home game. It has to be replaced by a game against an FBS opponent preferably from let's say C-USA, the Sunbelt, or MAC.

*The non-conference game at Connecticut stays as scheduled.

*Assuming Notre Dame is at home, find a P-4 conference road game ideally at a former familiar foe with an opening, if possible. The opposite scenario if the ND game is on the road, but again tough to find an opponent with a schedule opening on short notice.

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