Kickoff: Saturday, September 5 at 11:00 AM CT
Location: JMA Wireless Dome
TV: ACC Network
DraftKings line (Aug. 30): SYR -33.5
Over/under: 55.5

The setup

Syracuse is 23-0 against FCS opponents since the major-college split in 1978. New Hampshire is trying to become the first exception in nearly half a century.

What I’m watching

The thing to watch is how quickly Syracuse’s rebuilt offense settles in. Syracuse averaged 20.2 points per game last season and returns 2 offensive starters. New Hampshire allowed 23.2 points per game.

Personnel snapshot

• New Hampshire: Sean Goldrich enters Year 1 as head coach.
• New Hampshire quarterback: Brooks Bentley is New Hampshire’s most experienced returning passer. He had no meaningful passing sample in 2025.
• Syracuse: Fran Brown enters Year 3 as head coach. 7 starters return—2 on offense and 5 on defense. Key defenders back include Antoine Deslauriers, Gary Bryant III, and Demetres Samuel Jr.. The Syracuse defense allowed 427.7 yards and 34.9 points per game last season.
• Syracuse quarterback: Steve Angeli is projected to start for Syracuse. Last season, he threw for 1,317 yards, 10 TD and 2 INT before being hurt about Clemson. Angeli doesn’t mind throwing it deep and testing defenses. He was among the nation’s leaders in 20-plus yard attempts before his injury.

Three quick analysis points

• The location wrinkle: The Orange have won 22 straight Dome games against FCS teams. The venue-specific streak is one game shorter than the entire category streak because Syracuse has been just as automatic indoors.
• The opener trend: Syracuse is 96-34-4 in home openers and has won 10 of the last 12. This first-ever meeting begins in one of the program’s most comfortable calendar slots.
• A first real test at quarterback: Brooks Bentley is New Hampshire’s most experienced returning passer. \Syracuse returns 5 defensive starters and ranked only No. 109 nationally at creating sacks and other disruptive plays, giving Brooks Bentley a chance to settle in. New Hampshire returns no listed starting offensive linemen, making protection the immediate question.

How the game is decided

Syracuse’s first job is avoiding three-and-outs while the new offensive pieces settle in. New Hampshire must turn every early stop into field position or points if it hopes to hang around.

Prediction

I make my final predictions on TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook at @uthinkuknowsports.

Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.