The Anti-Preview: Notre Dame VS Syracuse

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team is in serious trouble. Now sitting at 1-3 with the lone victory to Nevada, the Irish are one loss away from being the proverbial, “dumpster fire.” Oh, so you think they are burning in that beautiful brown container already? Not even close my friend.

The wonderful @phillykelly

Notre Dame is going through some things right now. Brian Kelly is calling out his players and coaches (and himself if you listen properly), defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder has been fired, and the season is now a non-factor in the race for the playoffs.

While not all of those above items are 100% a bad thing, it’s never a good look for a team, a program, and a school that always seems to be on the defensive from a PR perspective. Oh, it can get worse. For Example...

Syracuse

Maybe this was a typical season for the Orange at the beginning of the month, when Syracuse was picked to finish 7th in their division of the ACC (also known as last place). It certainly looked that way as Syracuse beat Colgate 33-7, and then lost to Louisville 62-28 and South Florida 45-20. It got itself a “big” win last week as it “upset” Bob Diaco’s UConn Huskies, 31-24. Their fans are kind of excited.

For further reading on this Syracuse football team, please read “5 Things To Know About Syracuse.” Other than that, there are two things to take notice:

1. Syracuse runs tempo and is the fourth-fastest team in the country in regards to running plays. (Not Notre Dame’s strong suit).
2. Syracuse’s starting quarterback Eric Dungey may be hurt. So, that means he either plays and everyone marvels as he throws for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns while hurt, or his back-up plays and everyone marvels as he throws for 400 yards and 5 touchdowns. Yeah us!

What Should You Be Drinking?

The noon kickoff give more opportunity than one might think at first glance. Yes, that means a possible earlier wake-up call, but I’m talking about choice of drink. You can’t normally order and drink a mimosa for an afternoon game- and you sure as shit should not do it for a night game. Here, we have the perfect opportunity to do it- so let’s do it right.

What Should You Be Eating?

Oranges? No. Orange roughy? No. Orange chicken? HELL NO. Notre Dame is playing on the east coast and so you have a fairly large selection of fresh seafood to roll with.

What Should You Be Wearing?

This is where things get tricky. In fact, eating and drinking things may get tricky too. While you should show strong support for Notre Dame, there may be a tendancy to hide from onlookers that love watching a good train wreck.

Go gold man. Or a cop, either way.

The WORST Thing About This Game

This is normally a lot more positive and is called “the best.” Not this week. Not this game. The worst thing about this game is the location. I HATE neutral site games. I absolutely hate them. If you are a fan of the college game, as I am, you should hate them too.

College football is meant to be played on college campuses (or at least fairly close to them). The sterility, and blandness of playing a game in a place that hold no real reference to either school is underwhelming at best and boring at its worst.

Shame on Syracuse to allow this atrocity. Domes suck ass too- but at least its their sucky ass dome and not some property in the middle of a concrete jungle. Yuck.

5 Reasons To Hate Syracuse

1. Jim Boheim.
2. 2008 Syracuse game at Notre Dame on senior day.
3. The scariest looking mascot in the nation.
4. Actually causing a panic attack by possibly being the instrument to put Notre Dame at 1-4.
5. Having a dome for a stadium and allowing this abomination to occur.

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Shamrock Stars

Dexter Williams. Notre Dame can win a shootout, but they might have better success if they slow things down and not try to keep pace with the Orange. Brian Kelly wasn’t wrong when he spoke about Sexy Dexy last week. He looks like he wants it all and then some on every play. Feed him.

Devin Studstill. This is a hard test to pass this week for a defense that just saw its coordinator fired, and had been playing awful and awfully soft in the beginning of the season. Studstill will have to put away his freshman mistakes and play to the level that we had hoped. The talent is there, and now is the time to unleash it. The pass rush will be minimal because of the offense they face, so this defense and the safeties HAVE to play well.

At the end of the day...

Notre Dame lives up to the motto on the most horrible version of “The Shirt” ever. The Irish rise above themselves and actually play hard and with some passion. They wrap and they push back. Notre Dame won’t be forgiven for the horrid start of the season so far by beating Syracuse. They can, however, start to do that penance with a strong win- and I think they get it. Notre Dame 38, Syracuse 27.