Central New York is once again becoming a hot-bed of college football excitement, as #16 Syracuse continues to play great football under head coach Dino Babers. The success of Syracuse football has not gone unnoticed in the community and now fans are coming from near and far to the JMA Wireless Dome. This Saturday, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and their traveling fanbase come to campus.
ESPN's "College Game Day" has been a Saturday morning staple for millions of collegiate football fans for 35 years. The campus spirited show, that debuted in 1987, has not been broadcast live from a location in New York State north of the United State Military Academy in West Point. Well, if things go well on Saturday, one campus northwest of there may get their first visit from the popular ESPN show.
There is a big football game on Saturday at noon on ABC-TV. It features #14 Syracuse taking on #5 Clemson. This is the best Syracuse Orange football team in at least the last 4 years and maybe in decades. Clemson football star head coach, Dabo Swinney, may have summed it up best on Tuesday, “Dino’s got ‘em going, man. He’s got an offense that can score. He’s got a scheme that creates challenges.” Handsome praise from a coach that has enjoyed the highest pinnacle in college football.
No matter which college team you root for, no one should deny the benefits to all of New York football when Syracuse University is playing well. 31 New Yorkers are currently on NFL rosters in 2022. Former pro football stars like Ron Jaworski, Boomer Esiason and even fan favorite Rob Gronkowski are all from the Empire State. Top names and the big teams always draw fans attention. That's why it's awesome when the Orange are playing well because upstate New York draws the attention of all of college football.
The new coach of the Broncos may have plenty of orange in his closet. As reported on Thursday by ESPN, Denver is working to finalize a deal to hire Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett as their new head coach. The Broncos have had five consecutive losing seasons. The last three had been orchestrated under former head coach Vic Fangio, who was fired in early January. Now Denver is hoping that the former Syracuse assistant coach can help bring that franchise back to the Super Bowl.
Sometimes you don't have to be in the "state of the art" football stadium to get a feel for the tradition of a football program. Let's take a look at 5 easy trips from the Capital Region in New York, for people who love college football! You won't just enjoy the ride, you'll love these trips from the pre-game tailgate parties to the post game celebrations!