Let the countdown to bowl season begin. From December 16th, 2022 to January 9th, 2023 fanbases will watch their team play for the final time hoping they walk off the field as a winner. For one fanbase the final game will provide a national championship and all the glory and publicity that comes with it.
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Syracuse University isn't one of those teams, with most of the national media placing them in a bowl scheduled before Christmas Eve. But that doesn't mean we can't come up with our own dream matchups for the Orange's final game of the season. Here's what our Orange Zone team came up with as the Cuse wait to learn where they're headed.
Tommy Sladek, Samantha Croston and James Mungro's dream SU Bowl Game: Syracuse vs. Illinois
Mark us all down for the Shrader/Devito Bowl which realistically could happen if Syracuse lands in the Pinstripe Bowl. Tommy Devito has had a great season with Illinois since losing the starting job at Syracuse last season to Garrett Shrader. Two quarterbacks with very different personalities off the field would make for a great offensive battle on the field.
Brendon Hodges' dream SU Bowl Game: Syracuse vs. West Virginia
If you know me, you know I love history, and while Illinois would be fun I'm going to go for something that probably won't happen.
Enter West Virginia.
Forget for a second that at 5-7 the Mountaineers aren't technically bowl eligible. With teams beating each other up across the country some 5-7 teams will be included in the months-long lineup of bowls that we'll be watching over the course of the winter. One of those possible teams, West Virginia. Keep in mind that SU and West Virginia have history thanks to playing each other every year from 1955 to 2012. Granted that last game was the 2012 Pinstripe Bowl, not a regular season matchup. Then again the last time these teams played was also a bowl game, the last one SU was in. The Orange won but I'd be intrigued to see if this year's team would beat a West Virginia team that had a similar sort of season.
You've heard our dream scenarios, now all we can do is wait for the real one to be announced. That happens on Sunday, December 4th. Until then though why not keep up to date on the Orange through "The Orange Zone Podcast"? New episodes drop weekly on Wednesday mornings on our CNY Central YouTube page as well as Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.