Syracuse football: what’s college football saying about the Orange after Week 2?

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SYRACUSE, NY – SEPTEMBER 12: Syracuse Orange Tight End Daunte Bacheyie (19) reacts to making a catch for a first down during the first half of the College Football game between the California Golden Bears and the Syracuse Orange on September 12, 2026, at the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse, NY. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Syracuse Orange football team has little room to recover, as it will return to the field just a few days from now for another tough in-conference matchup.

Syracuse will take on the Pittsburgh Panthers on Thursday night. The Orange are coming off a three-point loss against the California Golden Bears in their first ACC game of 2026.

Here’s how the rest of the college football world is feeling about ‘Cuse heading into the Pitt of Doom.

ESPN

Syracuse dropped six spots on ESPN’s College Football Power Index. It moved from No. 54 to No. 60 overall and 14th among ACC schools. FPI projects the Orange to finish between 4.5 and 7.5 wins, with a 27.4% chance of getting to six victories.

Syracuse also went from No. 60 to No. 67 on the ESPN SP+ Rankings. The Orange are now 84th on offense, 54th on defense, and 35th on special teams.

Pitt is at No. 29 overall, according to FPI, and ranks 36th on offense, 46th on defense, and 59th on special teams, per the SP+ Rankings.

CBS Sports

Syracuse crept up one spot on CBS Sports’ rankings, going from No. 70 to No. 69. Pitt is sitting at No. 31.

The Athletic

The Orange fell slightly in The Athletic’s rankings. They went from No. 74 to No. 77. Pitt is at No. 35.

College Football News

Syracuse is now at No. 72 entering Week 3, down from No. 65, according to College Football News. Pitt is at No. 53.

Syracuse.com

Syracuse drops from 6th to 11th this week in the local poll. Pittsburgh is 5th.

AP and Coaches Poll

No votes for ‘Cuse in either the AP poll or the US LBM Coaches poll. Pitt received one vote in the former and several votes in the latter.

ACC Week 2 Scores

Florida A&M 7, Miami (FL) 77
Villanova 13, Louisville 59
Norfolk State 3, Virginia 59
Richmond 0, NC State 73
Rutgers 21, Boston College 28
UC Davis 10, SMU 56
Tennessee 45, Georgia Tech 24
East Tennessee State 3, North Carolina 35
Old Dominion 21, Virginia Tech 44
Wake Forest 38, Purdue 36
UCF 7, Pittsburgh 12
California 21, Syracuse 18
Duke 31, Illinois 27
Georgia Southern 7, Clemson 22

ACC Week 3 Schedule

Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh (Thursday)
Miami (FL) vs. Wake Forest (Friday)
Mercer vs. Georgia Tech (Saturday)
North Carolina vs. Clemson (Saturday)
NC State vs. Vanderbilt (Saturday)
Maine vs. Boston College (Saturday)
Florida State vs. Alabama (Saturday)
SMU vs. Louisville (Saturday)
Wagner vs. California (Saturday)
Stanford vs. Duke (Saturday)
West Virginia vs. Virginia (Saturday)
Virginia Tech vs. Maryland (Saturday)

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