Syracuse University is set to take on Washington State in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 27, with an 8 p.m. EST kickoff. The Orange, under first-year head coach Fran Brown, aim to cap a transformative season with their first 10-win campaign since 2018.
Syracuse (9-3) enters its third consecutive bowl appearance after a regular season that included victories over three AP Top 25 teams. However, bowl success has eluded the program recently, with losses to South Florida in the Boca Raton Bowl last year and Minnesota in the 2022 Pinstripe Bowl. The Orange’s last bowl win came in the 2018 Camping World Bowl, where they defeated West Virginia.
Washington State (8-4) began the season strong, going 8-1 before dropping its final three games against New Mexico State, Oregon State, and Wyoming. Led by third-year head coach Jake Dickert, the Cougars boast a defense ranked 31st nationally by Pro Football Focus with an 88.9 grade, alongside a 48th-ranked offense with a 78.7 grade.
A victory would secure Syracuse its first double-digit win season in six years, a milestone achieved only twice this century. Meanwhile, Washington State seeks to close its season on a high note after a late-season slide.
The brackets for the 12-team College Football Brackets were also announced on Sunday. Check out the selections and analysis here:
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