Syracuse football 2024 opponent preview: Week 4, Stanford Cardinal

The Syracuse Orange and college football teams from around the country will receive two byes this season (as it always should be), and after taking an early breather after the ACC opener against Georgia Tech, SU will welcome an opponent to the Dome boundaries for the first time. And not just any opponent: one of the new additions to the decidedly not just Atlantic Coast Conference.

It's a matchup spanning more than 3,000 miles, featuring a battle between the world's largest and most disturbing mascots… oh and programs with suspiciously similar logos.

Stanford Cardinal

School: Stanford University

Nickname: Cardinal

mascots: The Stanford Tree (unofficial/band)

#BRAND slogans: #GoStanford, “The House of Champions”

Alternative #BRAND slogan suggestions: #PlantOurRoots, “Pioneer since Pop Warner” or “They really used to play the Super Bowl somewhere, huh?”

Conference: PAC-12 -> ACC

History vs. Syracuse: This will be the first ever “Battle for the Block 'S'” as both teams have rarely traveled to the opposite coast.

Bob Drebin/ISI Photos/Getty Images

Coach: Troy Taylor, second season. Formerly a QB for Cal and the New York Jets, Taylor got his first opportunity to lead an FBS program last fall. He previously led Sacramento State to three consecutive Big Sky titles with a combined conference record of 23-1. His first assistant positions were at Berkeley in the late 1990s, and he also coached high school football in Sac-town for eight years.

2023 record: 3-9 (2-7)

A summary of last season:

You know it's a grueling year in which a team doesn't win even once in front of its own fans. Losing to Taylor's old Sacramento team in the home opener was a sign of things to come, as the Cardinal's brief time in the national spotlight before defeating Coach Prime's Colorado in Double OT was overshadowed by many miserable Saturdays at Stanford campus. However, they won both Friday night games, the other being in Hawaii to start the season.

The attack on Stanford was unusual. It's not that they never tried to run the ball, they just didn't run it with any success – so much so that the unit as a whole attempted more passes than rushes by the end of the season. Former Orange Quarterback Justin Lamson served as gadget man, leading the team in rushing yards with 334 and adding another 504 through the air. Key QB Ashton Daniels totaled over 2,500 yards and 14 overall touchdowns to eight interceptions, but both guys were hammered a total of 41 times in the backfield. The only highlight was freshman Elic Ayomanor. After missing all of 2022 due to injury, he exploded for a thousand-yard season with six sixes.

A heavy reliance on the pass is partly due to an extremely poor defense. The Cardinal 2-4-5 allowed the most yards (461.7), passing yards (298.0) and points per game (37.7) in ALL of Power football. [They were the second-worst offender in each category among FBS teams.] LB David Bailey had five sacks, and CB Zahran Manley broke up five passes and picked off two more. Just about everything else was a moot point. Kicker Joshua Karty went 23/27 and missed just once from less than 50 yards – that accuracy getting him drafted in the sixth round by the Los Angeles Rams.

Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Season outlook 2024:

Stanford hosts TCU and Cal Poly to start the season and also travels to Notre Dame and San Jose State in non-conference play. Their first ACC schedule features home games against Virginia Tech, SMU, Wake Forest and Louisville, coupled with long trips east to SU, Clemson and NC State. Their rivalry with Cal has been preserved throughout the conference and will continue on November 23 in Berkeley.

Taylor hasn't been as stingy as Dabo Swinney in the transfer portal, but it's clear he's much more interested in recruiting the traditional way. This year's 19-player freshman class includes four-star Elijah Brown (#11 National QB), Chris Davis and Cole Tabb (Top-50 National RBs) and Emmett Mosley (Top-80 National WR). The offensive line should improve from last fall's smorgasbord where only Center Levi Rogers started all 12 games. For the time being, this young core must focus on building their identity.

The defense gets the biggest rookies in 65,240 lbs. DL Benedict Umeh, the #1 prospect from Canada in this recruiting class, and Top-40 Edge Dylan Stephenson, who also fielded offers from FSU and Georgia. Graduate transfer Clay Patterson adds depth to the interior after recording 10 sacks between his last two years at Yale. There won't be as many spots up for grabs on this side as the secondary has been dealing with, if not overworked, pieces.

Syracuse game date: Friday September 20

Place: JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse, New York

Probability of victory for the Dutch team: 85%

Very early prospects vs. Syracuse:

Flashback to when Dino Babers first took the Syracuse job. The second year had some great moments and showed his original vision taking shape, but there were still hiccups on the way to a much better third season. That's about where Taylor is now. He inherited a mess of a roster and should see a lot of meaningful growth this fall — just not enough to come out on top in this early test of attrition.

Stanford is playing a clean game, but it's not enough to beat a more talented SU squad under the lights and in front of a rocking Dome crowd that both sees and believes in the Franchise.