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Last Saturday against Boston College, Syracuse’s defense was gashed by the Eagles’ potent rushing attack in a 37-31 defeat. The Orange allowed a season-high 313 yards on the ground as BC’s two-headed monster of Kye Robichaux (198 rushing yards) and Jordan McDonald (133) were deadly throughout the afternoon.

SU quarterback Kyle McCord threw for a season-high 392 yards, but his lone turnover on a Donovan Ezeiruaku strip-sack gave Boston College a 23-21 lead. The Eagles never relinquished it, handing the Orange their third loss of the season.

Syracuse now travels across the country to take on Cal for its final road game of 2024. The Bears have just one win through their first five games in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Here’s how our beat writers think Syracuse (6-3, 3-3 ACC) will fare against California (5-4, 1-4 ACC) on Saturday in Berkeley:

Aiden Stepansky (5-4)
Dream of Californication
Syracuse 31, Cal 27

I can’t seem to figure this team out. But I’m going to stick with my gut here. All along, I had the Orange at 8-4. Entering November, I had them going 3-2 in the final month. And before the final two-game road trip, I saw them splitting the pair. So I’ll keep with those metrics and pick Syracuse to come away with a win.

Poor running defense is the glaring weakness of this team. SU now allows the third most yards on the ground in the ACC following its abysmal performance in Chestnut Hill. Luckily for the Orange, the Golden Bears average the fourth-fewest rushing yards per game.

In recent weeks, McCord has faced some of the best pass rushers in the conference, Antwaun Powell-Ryland and Ezeiruaku. Syracuse’s offense will have another tough task Saturday, as Cal’s defense ranks first in points allowed in the ACC, and has a top pass rusher in Xavier Carlton and the interception leader in Nohl Williams.

It will be a tough day for SU’s offense to push through, and we may see another poor first quarter. Still, I think Syracuse will stop the run just enough to give it added possessions. In the end, I see the Orange squeaking out of California with a victory.

Cooper Andrews (4-5)
Conquering the Calgorithm
Syracuse 24, Cal 20

Disclaimer: I’ve picked the wrong outcome in each of Syracuse’s last three games. Still, I feel an undeserved sense of confidence this week. There’s a reason why California is 15th in the ACC standings. The Orange are better and will escape Berkeley victorious.

The Golden Bears started this season as one of college football’s best Cinderella stories. They were selected to host College Gameday after starting out 3-0. Though much of Cal’s hype was due to the “Calgorithm,” a social media trend where its fans used AI-generated memes to poke fun at the state of California’s left-leaning politics.

That off-the-field stuff was pretty hilarious. But on the field, the Golden Bears haven’t been anything special. They lost four straight games before recently defeating Oregon State and Wake Forest, scoring 40-plus points in both. Against heightened competition, though, California’s offensive line has been brutal. Pro Football Focus grades Cal’s run blocking at 53.9, the 19th-worst total in the country, and its pass blocking at 62.7, the 38th-worst. I expect Fadil Diggs, Maraad Watson and others to feast in the trenches.

Cal’s defense, led by edge rusher Carlton (nine sacks), is formidable, allowing less than 20 points per game and ranking as PFF’s No. 40 overall unit. Yet I think SU’s offense will score enough to eke out a low-scoring affair.

Justin Girshon (4-5)
Still stinky
Syracuse 24, Cal 27

In my preseason prediction, I said a potentially tough yet winnable stretch against Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Boston College and Cal would define SU’s season. Fast forward to the present day, and this still rings true. Though already with losses to Pitt and BC, the Orange can’t call this stretch a success — no matter what happens against the Golden Bears.

Instead, Saturday’s matchup likely determines whether Syracuse has an adequate 8-4 first year under head coach Fran Brown or a disappointing 7-5 one, as a split against UConn and Miami to close the season seems likely. With what the Orange have shown this year, I don’t think there’s much reason to believe they’ll pull off a win traveling across the country as an 8.5-point underdog.

SU has consistently started games slowly, only accumulating three first-quarter points over its last four games. I think it will continue this trend against the Golden Bears, forcing it to yet again play from behind. While this isn’t necessarily an issue for Syracuse, as it typically leans on McCord’s arm to carry its offense anyway, I think it’ll be the difference in a one-possession game against a lethal Cal secondary.

While the Golden Bears don’t boast the most deadly offense in the ACC, they have a quarterback in Fernando Mendoza who can pick the Orange’s defense apart enough to defeat them. And as a result, Brown will be held showerless for the second straight week.

Published on November 13, 2024 at 11:17 pm