Syracuse preparing for final ranked opponent of troublesome season (10 things to know)

Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse football is fresh off a bye and preparing to conclude a forgettable 2025 season.

There are two games remaining, beginning with Saturday’s game at No. 9 Notre Dame (3:30 p.m.; TV: NBC).

Syracuse head coach Fran Brown is winless in three games against the Fighting Irish as a position coach. He was an underdog in all three games. This time, he’ll be in familiar territory as the sportsbooks aren’t giving Syracuse a chance.

Brown and his staff have two games remaining to determine for sure which players will return to Syracuse next season and get its seniors one last win.

Here are 10 things to know heading into Syracuse’s final ranked game of the season:

The quarterback situation

Syracuse will start freshman Joe Filardi under center again against the Irish. Filardi has practiced with the starters since the loss at No. 13 Miami, when he scored Syracuse’s only touchdown despite playing one drive.

“He loves to compete,” Brown told ESPN Radio Syracuse during his weekly Thursday appearance. “He’s constantly learning. Coming in for extra meetings, watching his practice. And the team believes in him.”

It was Rickie Collins that was sent to deal with the Hurricanes before the bye week. Now, Collins might not move past QB3 for the rest of the season.

Essentially, Collins’s fate Saturday relies on freshman Luke Carney. While Filardi will start, Brown wants to see Carney play again this season. However, Carney can play in one more game this season and still retain a season of eligibility.

If Filardi can stay healthy or play decent enough, Carney may not have to play until Boston College next week, when he and Filardi will both be on their fourth game. If not, Brown will have to choose between returning to Collins after a second benching or playing Carney against a 38.5-point favorite.

Will Filardi be on scholarship?

The walk-on confirmed after Syracuse’s Halloween loss to North Carolina that he is not a scholarship player for either the football or men’s lacrosse teams. He was one of Syracuse’s grandfathered walk-ons after the NCAA set new roster limits prior to the 2025 season.

He will finish his freshman season with at least two starts for the Orange. Still, it hasn’t sparked scholarship conversations, he said.

Filardi is set to be behind the eight-ball heading into next season. While Syracuse projects to have Angeli, Carney and incoming freshman Zaid Lott present for spring practices, Filardi will be playing lacrosse.

Syracuse also has redshirt freshman Jakhari Williams and freshman Rich Belin on roster, and another incoming freshman in three-star Tyrell Grant Jr. that could join Lott as an early enrollee.

Syracuse players have suggested that financial conversations for next season have not taken place yet, which could be the explanation for Filardi’s status being in limbo.

He isn’t a throw-away walk-on, though, Brown said Thursday, using the new roster limits to explain himself.

“We got like six quarterbacks,” Brown said. “So, what would be the need in me just taking the sixth quarterback just to come and be there for practice? That wasn’t the case at all. I just think that he can play.”

Who else is returning?

Syracuse has commitments from redshirt junior quarterback Steve Angeli, sophomore running back Yasin Willis, freshman cornerback Demetres Samuel Jr. and freshman guard Byron Washington to return next season.

Brown said Monday that offensive coordinator Jeff Nixon and defensive coordinator Elijah Robinson will also return to Syracuse in 2026. But Syracuse will need more than that.

As December approaches, Brown, general manager Tommy Caporale and athletic director John Wildhack have to determine Syracuse’s salary cap for 2026. Since the 2025 season has gone downhill, Syracuse has had the luxury of seeing younger players in action that can prevent it from over-extending itself to retain older players.

However, young players cost money, too. Freshman linebacker Antoine Deslauriers will attract some attention, and it would be wise for Syracuse to retain him. While Brown didn’t want to pay the price, losing defensive tackle Maraad Watson to Texas after a freshman All-America season was evident this season.

Given Syracuse’s overall struggles in tackling and linebacker play in general, Deslauriers should be at the top of the list to retain.

On the other hand, Syracuse has incoming freshman Amare Gough and five-star prospect Calvin Russell III joining its wide receivers room next year. Syracuse has also liked what it sees from redshirt freshmen Emanuel Ross and Jaylan Hornsby, and true freshmen Darien Williams and Darius Johnson throughout the season.

Given the Orange’s depth and youth at that position, upperclassmen like Darrell Gill Jr. and Johntay Cook II may allow Brown to execute the same strategy he did in letting Trebor Peña leave for Penn State last spring.

About those young guys

Syracuse has been bad this season, but its incoming freshman class wouldn’t suggest that. Brown said Syracuse’s losing streak wouldn’t affect his 2026 and 2027 recruiting, and that has been a true statement so far.

While the transfer portal can be enticing, Brown plans to continue building Syracuse through the high school ranks. For him, he said the transfer portal shrinking to a single window reinforced the importance of high schoolers.

“There’s one portal now, so everybody won’t be able to do those things two times,” Brown said Monday. “At some point, everything will lock in. It’ll be the way it’s supposed to. And then I just know I’m doing everything right. And I get to build a relationship with them.

“You seen 20 freshmen play last week, so why would you not want to come to the program where that many freshmen have a chance to play with, in my opinion, coming back next year we’re gonna have the best quarterback in the country?”

Russell and Gough, thanks to their early enrollment, will have a chance to play as freshmen. And the Orange may, depending on the transfer portal, have to turn to four-star defensive linemen Alexander Haskell and Kamron Wilson to assist that struggling unit.

And with punter Jack Stonehouse possibly headed to the NFL, Jimmy Gregg will have the chance to punt as a true freshman.

The schedule

Syracuse benefitted from good health and a favorable schedule in Brown’s first season. The Orange played just two teams that finished in the final College Football Playoff Top 25 rankings, winning both games.

As it stands, Notre Dame will be Syracuse’s fourth ranked opponent of the 2025 season. By the time the season ends, that number could increase to six for the Orange.

Syracuse also played no non-conference games against Power Four opponents or Notre Dame last season. This year, the Orange played No. 20 Tennessee and were one of the ACC teams to draw the Irish.

More has gone into this season for Syracuse than a tougher schedule. Its starting quarterback suffered a season-ending injury and it lost four NFL draft picks. Aside from the draftees, four more members of last season’s teams have been activated for games this NFL season.

Syracuse simply couldn’t replace that production this season ahead of stiffer competition. Now, Syracuse will have to shape its roster to compete against what appears to be another tough schedule next season.

Life just got harder

Brown’s calling card is his ability to recruit, specifically the East Coast from New York to Florida. His ability to recruit the Sunshine State and Georgia has particularly stood out during his time at Syracuse.

Lately, he and his staff have found success in Virginia with a host of coaches and staff members from the region or formerly in charge of recruiting the region at other stops. One of Syracuse’s most coveted commitments in the Class of 2026 is four-star wide receiver Amaré Gough out of Thomas Jefferson.

Now, Brown has new competition in recruiting the commonwealth.

Virginia Tech introduced former Penn State head coach James Franklin as its head coach Wednesday. Brown and most of his staff have spent the past decade fighting with Franklin for recruits in the Northeast. However, Franklin had a bigger budget in a different conference.

Now, they’ll be competing directly with Franklin not just for recruits, but for conference championships.

The brass in Blacksburg has pledged to significantly invest money into athletics, especially Franklin’s football program. If that holds true, Syracuse has one more headache to deal with in the future.

Injury report

Brown indicated to ESPN Radio Syracuse that redshirt senior center Austin Collins will return against Notre Dame.

Collins injured his leg on the first play of the Oct. 18 loss to Pittsburgh. He missed the next week at No. 16 Georgia Tech and has been limited in action ever since.

In Collins’s absence, redshirt sophomore Josh Miller and right guard Joe Cruz were filling in for the Orange at center.

How to watch

The Syracuse Orange football team play their last road game of the season against the No. 9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, November 22 at 3:30 p.m. ET. Here’s where you can watch the game for free, even if you have fuboTV.

Live stream: DirecTV (free trial), Hulu + Live TV, Peacock

Odds

The latest betting lines for Saturday’s game are as follows:

• Spread: Notre Dame favored at -35.5
• Total (Over/Under): 50.5
• Moneyline Odds: Syracuse +6500, Notre Dame -100000

The odds and lines featured in this article are the best available from selected sports betting sites at the time of publication and are subject to change.

Betting is unavailable for in-state college teams in New York, but we’ve compiled some of the best introductory offers to help navigate your first bets from BetMGM, FanDuel, DraftKings, Bet365 and more.

Please note that when engaging in online betting, it is important to exercise responsible gambling practices and seek reliable sources for accurate and up-to-date information.

See our picks

BRENT AXE: Notre Dame 55, Syracuse 6

CHRIS CARLSON: Notre Dame 42, Syracuse 3

JAVON EDMONDS: Notre Dame 44, Syracuse 3

NATE MINK: Notre Dame 48, Syracuse 0