Beat writers agree Syracuse will start season 1-0 vs. New Hampshire
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Syracuse’s season begins Saturday with some familiar faces and a slew of new characters. Thankfully for them, the Orange start with their most favorable matchup of the year — Football Championship Subdivision opponent New Hampshire.
Starting quarterback Steve Angeli will lead the Orange for the first time since tearing his Achilles in September 2025, a chance to prove he hasn’t lost momentum since his injury. Angeli has reiterated throughout preseason camp that he’s “100% healthy.”
Saturday also gives the Orange the opportunity to snap their 2025 season-ending eight-game losing streak that resulted in an abysmal 3-9 record.
Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse (0-0, 0-0 Atlantic Coast) will perform in its season opener versus New Hampshire (0-1, 0-1 Coastal Athletic) Saturday:
Noah Nussbaum (0-0)
How much?
Syracuse 52, New Hampshire 20
I’m not going to sugarcoat it. Syracuse will dominate this game. New Hampshire is the Orange’s only FCS opponent this year, and I expect them to dispatch the Wildcats with ease.
My mind keeps returning to SU’s matchup with Colgate last year — also its only FCS contest of that season. The Orange won 66-24 in one of the four games Angeli started. One game before the campaign went awry, Angeli racked up 382 yards and six total touchdowns, tied for the most in a single game in program history.
Although I foresee Angeli starting his first game action in 11 months a bit rusty, that Colgate game is a good blueprint for what to expect on Saturday. Angeli, no matter if he lost any of the magic touch he displayed in 2025 while rehabbing from his injury, is too good to lose to New Hampshire.
My only question: How much will SU win by? I’m sorry to break it to any freshmen attending their first game in the JMA Wireless Dome, but 60-plus points feels unrealistic here. I think it’s very likely Angeli won’t play the whole game once the Orange inevitably lead by a considerable margin in the second half. Look for Syracuse to test Amari Odom and Malachi Nelson to determine a concrete No. 2 and give Brown a litmus test if he ever has to turn to his backups like last season.
Amid the blowout, there will be a few other intriguing storylines, like who will be Angeli’s top target and if SU can rush the passer effectively. But for now, let’s not worry about that. Syracuse will finally win, and it will win big.
Nicholas Alumkal (0-0)
Whooping the Wildcats
Syracuse 48, New Hampshire 10
Cast your mind back to the last time Syracuse took the field. The Orange’s 2025 season mercifully ended on Nov. 29, 2025, with a 34-12 beating that handed Boston College its second win of the season and dealt SU its eighth straight loss. After receiving next-to-nothing from various quarterbacks once Angeli went down, Brown’s group resorted to running Dan Villari, a quarterback-turned-tight end, in a wildcat formation. As the score indicates, it didn’t work.
As the Orange return to game action, Wildcats will stand on the opposing side of the field — and I expect them to have success similar to Villari’s. He had 11 carries in that game. That’s around how many points I expect New Hampshire to score Saturday. The Orange will win for the first time in 350 days.
On Monday, Brown said he expects UNH to build on its season-opening 28-14 loss to UAlbany, where it was gashed for 374 rushing yards. While Brown was noncommittal about which Orange running backs would play and who’d receive the most snaps, SU’s new and young backfield should have a field day Saturday.
The last time the Orange won was also the last time Angeli played. I foresee Angeli capitalizing on a prime opportunity to get up to speed, build the confidence of his youthful receiving corps and exit in the fourth quarter to allow SU to showcase the QB depth it added in the offseason.
It’ll be a get-right, ease-into-the-season game for Syracuse as a whole. Wildcats will be an endangered species in the Dome Saturday.
Harris Pemberton (0-0)
Game won
Syracuse 55, New Hampshire 13
If you haven’t read it enough over the past 11 months, it’s been a very, very long time since Syracuse won a football game. Three hundred forty-eight days, to be exact. But the 2026 season opener brings a welcome sight in a New Hampshire squad that shouldn’t bring SU any trouble. So, Syracuse will easily get the monkey — or the Wildcat, if you will — off its back and secure its first win of the 2026 campaign.
New Hampshire’s season began with that 28-14 loss to UAlbany last weekend, and, with all due respect to the Great Danes, the task is only more difficult for the Wildcats. This might be the only guaranteed win on SU’s schedule, and it’ll be far more about newcomers and the rehabbed Angeli settling in after a wild 11 months.
I expect Angeli to play for about two and a half quarters of this one, but keep an eye on how he performs in his return to action. We’ll probably see some solid action for Odom and Nelson, which may help Brown sort out the QB2 battle. I also look forward to seeing which receivers step up in a room that lacks a clear-cut No. 1 option.
It should be a big offensive day for the Orange and will likely result in SU’s most points all season. I expect it to eclipse the 50-point mark, with Angeli and Syracuse’s starters doing most of the work in the first half. I’ll give New Hampshire 13 points, but don’t expect this to be a close contest for long. It’ll be a solid tune-up for Vince Kehres’ new defense, led by Chris Peal, Demetres Samuel Jr. and Antoine Deslauriers.
Bottom line, Saturday is a good opportunity to start wiping the slate clean on a disastrous 2025 season. And I expect the Orange to take full advantage of it.
