FLETCHER OLIVER

Syracuse and Rutgers had an agreement for a football series, according to NJ.com, before former RU head coach Kyle Flood nixed it.

(AP/Jeff Zelevansky)

Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse's nonconference scheduling is continually a popular topic of conversation on the interwebs and local radio waves.

Why does the Orange not schedule more easy wins, or at least teams it'll be favored against? Why not schedule more Northeast opponents, like Army?

Well, according to a report from Steve Politi at NJ.com, SU and Rutgers had a verbal agreement for a two- or four-game series that would have started this season. A "source familiar with the scheduling process" told Politi that former RU head coach Kyle Flood got cold feet and "nixed the idea because he didn't want to risk losing to Syracuse because, he believed, that could hurt the Scarlet Knights on the recruiting trail."

It's unclear when exactly the agreement was made and canceled. Flood was fired late last November.

Looking at recruiting in the Garden State, The Orange has continued to target New Jersey prospects under first-year head coach Dino Babers. Though SU's 2017 class only features one commit from New Jersey, that's four-star quarterback Tommy DeVito, who shot up the rankings boards this summer as a member of The Opening's all-7-on-7 tournament team.

Instead of facing Rutgers this season, the Orange will host Colgate in its season opener on Friday at 7 p.m. before welcoming South Florida to the Carrier Dome, traveling to UConn and facing No. 8 Notre Dame at MetLife Stadium.

Here's a quick look at SU's currently scheduled nonconference games:

2016

9/3 vs. Colgate

9/17 vs. South Florida

9/24 at UConn

10/1 vs. Notre Dame (at MetLife Stadium)

2017

9/7 vs. Middle Tennessee

9/16 vs. Central Michigan

9/23 at LSU

2018

9/22 at Notre Dame

9/29 UConn

2019

8/31 Holy Cross

9/21 at Maryland

2020

9/12 at Wisconsin

TBA vs. Colgate

2021

9/11 vs. Wisconsin

2022

TBA vs. Notre Dame

2023

TBA vs. Army

2024

TBA at Army

2025

TBA at Notre Dame

TBA vs Army

2026

TBA at Army

Syracuse had been planning a home-and-home series with Penn State in 2020 and 2021, but confirmed that has been cancelled in late April.

Contact Stephen Bailey anytime:

Email

|

Twitter