Notre Dame football: Is Syracuse the best Irish foe before Clemson?
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team takes on ranked BYU in Las Vegas next Saturday, but is it Syracuse that is their biggest foe before the Clemson matchup?
After beating both Cal and UNC prior to their bye week, the Notre Dame football team is on a bit of a roll heading into their matchup against BYU next weekend. The Cougars went into their Thursday night matchup with Utah State ranked No. 19 in the country, and after winning, could be a top-15 team by the time these two squads battle it out inside Allegiant Stadium next Saturday.
While BYU is ranked, and the last ranked opponent the Irish will play before a matchup against Clemon, are the Cougars really the best team Notre Dame football will face before then?
BYU is a solid team and has a dynamic quarterback in Jaren Hall, but he was banged up against Utah State their last time out. That means he could be at least playing at less than full capacity when these two teams meet up in Las Vegas, which changes everything in this matchup.
Based on talent, it could be the Syracuse Orange that presents Notre Dame football with their biggest test before Clemson.
Notre Dame football should run the table before the Clemson matchup
Notre Dame will get BYU in Las Vegas, and then travel home for two home games against both Stanford and UNLV. That could be three straight victories before heading to Syracuse, New York to take on the Orange inside the JMA Wireless Dome, a team that has a perfect record after five games.
Syracuse may have rolled over Wagner this past weekend, but that does not mean all of their wins have not been significant. They have notched wins vs Louisville, Purdue, and Virginia, and they now go into a gauntlet of games that include NC State, Clemson, and then the Irish.
By the time they take on Notre Dame football, Syracuse could be sitting at 5-3, but based on how they have played this season, why can’t they beat either NC State or Clemson? Syracuse looks legit, and I believe they are the Irish’s biggest hurdle before the Clemson Tigers at home in primetime on November 5.