Syracuse Orange v. Colgate Raiders Prediction and Preview (9/12/25)

As we countdown to kickoff for the start of the Syracuse football season on Aug. 30, The Juice Online will be doing a team-by-team preview of its opponents.

To date, we've scouted matchups for Syracuse's opener against Tennessee in Atlanta, and then its home opener against Connecticut at the JMA Wireless Dome. At this point, I have Syracuse with an even 1-1 record heading into Week 3's home game against Colgate on Sept. 12.

This matchup renews the upstate New York rivalry that was put on hold for the 2024 season. The last time these two teams faced each other, Syracuse won handily, 65-0.

Colgate had a very lackluster 2024 as they went 2-10 under then-head coach, Stan Dakosty finishing dead last in the Patriot League. Following the season, Colgate relived Dakosty of his duties and hired SUNY Cortland head coach Curt Fitzpatrick.

A look at the Colgate offense

Offensively, Colgate's production centered around then-junior QB Jake Stearney, who threw for 1,869 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions, resulting in a QB rating of 119.2 passer rating.

Colgate’s ground game was ineffective last season as their leading rusher was freshman Chris Gee, who ran for 406 yards (5.5 per carry) and only found the endzone twice. Gee split touches with junior Brandon Cassamajor, who ran for 152 yards (3.8 per carry) and found the endzone 4 times.

Treyvon Sanders led all receivers with 88 receptions for 831 yards but only got in the endzone twice. The sophomore receiver proved to be a bright spot for this team and will be an interesting return piece.

Overall, the offensive unit ranked near the bottom of FCS scoring and yards production. The offensive line did not prove helpful as they allowed 29 sacks in 11 league games, 2.5 per outing. This is a liability Syracuse needs to expose.

On the defensive side

Defensively, things were not much better for Colgate as they surrendered large chunks of yardage to their opponents. They allowed nearly 400 yards of offense per game; this number rose to nearly 450 in Patriot League play.

Their front-seven lacked consistency, with the only real tangible impact coming from junior linebacker Cole Kozlowski, who garnered 121 total tackles (next closest was Dane Picariello with 69 TOT) along with 4 sacks and 1 interception.

As a unit, this Colgate team let up 31.5 points per game last season.

A prediction and preview for the matchup

This game will give Syracuse a chance to tighten up and sharpen up before kicking off ACC play the following week at Clemson.

I have Syracuse improving to 2-1 on the season with a dominant 48-7 win as Fran Brown is allowed to empty his bench in the second half.

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