Here's a quick exercise for you. You hear the label 'Division I football program' and think what?

For me I think, because of where I've lived over the course of my life, Missouri Tigers, Minnesota Golden Gophers and now the Syracuse Orange. Three of 131 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) programs.

How often college football fans forget there are nearly as many programs that inhabit the ranks of Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), some of which are just as dangerous as some FBS programs.

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It's from the ranks of the FCS where Syracuse football's next opponent hails. Enter the Wagner Seahawks.

The Seahawks are 0-3, with losses to FCS programs Fordham and Saint Francis, as well as to the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers. The lack of success isn't exclusive to this season though. Due to a number of factors, the pandemic among them, Wagner hasn't come out of a game with the victory since 2019. But that doesn't mean there aren't signs of improvement.

"This year it's been a lot of bright spots," mentioned Keith Raad, the voice of Wagner football. "Nick Kargman, Naiem Simmons, quarterback and wide receiver, old high school teammates hooking up in college. So I think the main piece for Wagner getting right this year is building that chemistry."

That sort of chemistry isn't often seen, but SU has already seen a team with a similar relationship (Purdue's Aidan O'Connell and Charlie Jones) already this season. But players are only half of the equations. Coaches, though powerless over their player's heat-of-the-moment decisions, have at least some influence on preparation. That being said it hasn't been easy. At the outset of the pandemic the old regime was removed, and a new staff headed up by Wagner alum Tom Massella was installed with the task of rebuilding amidst uncertainty.

"You never have that that clean transition of, 'Okay, we're going to get our practices and schedules and camps going at the right time," Raad said. "Recruiting's not been easy."

And the games haven't been either. After a strong start against a competitive FCS program in Fordham, the past two games have seen the Seahawks put up 14 points total. The entire Wagner program though is still motivated to perform as well as they can against SU, and then even better heading into the bulk of their Northeast Conference schedule.

"There's good things there," Raad said. "So I think the motivation is just a fresh start. Everyone's going in with that normalcy feeling, and just getting on the same page with chemistry so that in conference play, in the NEC, you can start to open up for some of those victories."

Now the Seahawks know it's a tough task, coming to the Dome to face off against an undefeated Orange team. The last time they traveled upstate was in 2018, a game that saw them exit after a 62-10 defeat.

"It would be a true upset." Raad said. "Big shoes to fill stepping into the Dome. Big crowd, upstate New York, big program ACC.:

All of that's true. It's also true that college football has seen FCS programs come into a game as underdogs, and leave just hours later having earned something of value, if not a win. For guys like Nick Kargman and Naiem Simmons, it's a chance to show how far their relationship can take them on the offensive end. It's a chance for a player like defensive lineman Titus Leo, a player who Raad thinks will get "real NFL looks" to go up against guys who are on that path themselves.

Above all else, it's a chance to once again show why sports, more than any other big stage, offer a chance to make a miracle a reality.

Will the Seahawks write another miracle into college football's history books? Will the Orange take care of their own business on the way to their best start since 1987? We'll find out on Saturday when Wagner and Syracuse get together at the JMA Wireless Dome. If you aren't heading to the game you'll have to look a little harder to watch this week with the game being streamed on ACC Network Extra. Before kickoff though check out the latest episode of "The Orange Zone Podcast" on our CNY Central YouTube page, Spotify, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcasts, and subscribe to watch our latest videos from the games and analysis on what's next for the team.