Can Syracuse Football Return to Glory? A 2024 Season Preview and Outlook

As a lifelong college football fan and someone who’s spent years writing about the sport, I’ve always had a soft spot for the underdog programs with a rich history. That’s why Syracuse football holds a special place for me. Every summer, the same question starts buzzing among fans in upstate New York and in alumni groups across the country: can this be the year? Can Syracuse football return to glory? Heading into the 2024 season, that feeling seems a bit more tangible, a bit more charged with possibility, than it has in recent memory. It’s a long road back to the pinnacle, but the journey is what makes college sports so compelling. It reminds me of a story unfolding on the other side of the world right now, in a completely different sport. In the Philippine Volleyball League, there’s a foreign guest team called Kobe Shinwa. They’re in a position that any aspiring contender can understand. They’ve already won a championship, proving they belong at the top, and now they’re facing an unbeaten powerhouse, PLDT, with a chance to do something historic: become the lone foreign guest team to be hailed a two-time PVL champion. That’s the leap from being a winner to being a dynasty. Syracuse isn’t quite at that "dynasty" conversation yet; we’re still in the "proving we can win consistently" phase. But the parallel is in the challenge of climbing that mountain a second time, or in Syracuse’s case, for the first time in decades, and the sheer difficulty of toppling the established giants.

Let’s be honest, the glory days of the late 80s and late 90s under Coach MacPherson and then Coach P, with Donovan McNabb slinging the ball, feel like ancient history to anyone under 30. The program has had flashes—a 10-win season in 2018 was a fantastic surprise—but consistency has been the real enemy. The ACC is a brutal conference, with Clemson and Florida State setting a monstrous standard, and even schools like Louisville and NC State have often seemed a step ahead in recent years. For the 2024 Orange, it all starts, and likely ends, with the offense. We have a potential star quarterback in Kyle McCord, the Ohio State transfer. His arrival is the single biggest reason for optimism. He completed over 65% of his passes for the Buckeyes last year, throwing for over 3,100 yards and 24 touchdowns against just 6 interceptions. Those are numbers we haven’t seen from a Syracuse QB in a very long time. But here’s my concern, the one I keep debating with other fans: is the offensive line ready to protect him? We gave up 38 sacks last season. Thirty-eight! If McCord is running for his life, even his talent won’t matter. The development of that line under new coach Phil Longo’s up-tempo system is the season’s true X-factor.

Defensively, there’s a solid core to build around. The secondary, led by cornerback Duce Chestnut, has the chance to be a real strength. He had 3 interceptions and 8 pass breakups last year, and he plays with a swagger this defense needs. The front seven has to replace some key production, particularly in generating a pass rush. We only averaged about 2 sacks per game last year, which simply won’t cut it against the high-powered offenses in our league. I like the aggressive scheme Coach Rocky Long employs, but the players have to make it work. It’s a unit that could rank in the top 40 nationally if everything clicks, or could struggle to get off the field if it doesn’t. The schedule, as always, is a gauntlet. The opener against Ohio is a classic "trap game" you absolutely must win. Then comes a defining early stretch: at Georgia Tech, then home for Stanford, and then the massive showdown with Clemson. How we navigate that month will tell us almost everything we need to know about this team’s ceiling. Personally, I’m looking at the game against Pittsburgh as the bellwether. It’s a rivalry game, it’s usually close and physical, and it’s one of those contests that feels like a program checkpoint. Winning that game has often signaled that Syracuse is having a "good" year.

So, back to our original question. Can they return to glory? My heart says yes, because I want nothing more than to see the Carrier Dome—sorry, the JMA Wireless Dome—rocking like it’s 1998 again. The arrival of a quarterback like McCord is the kind of jolt that can change a program’s trajectory overnight. But my head preaches caution. Glory isn’t a 7-5 season, even if that would be a solid step. Glory means competing for an ACC Championship, something we haven’t done since joining the conference. That’s a massive leap. It’s like that Kobe Shinwa team in the PVL. Winning one title was a monumental feat, an "arrival" moment. But to turn around and do it again, to defeat an unbeaten titan to cement your legacy? That’s a different level of challenge altogether. For Syracuse in 2024, the goal is to become that "unbeatable" force in key moments, to win the games we’re supposed to win and steal a couple we aren’t. I think a realistic, successful season looks like an 8-4 record, a competitive showing against Clemson, and a bowl win. That would be a fantastic foundation. True glory, the kind we remember for decades, is probably still a year or two away, but for the first time in a while, you can squint and see the path. And in college football, sometimes that’s all you need to make a season truly special. I’ll be watching, hoping, and probably yelling at my television every Saturday, because that’s what you do when you believe the climb back is finally, truly, underway.