The Orange's third game of the season takes place on Thursday night, and they are coming off a difficult loss against Cal.
Syracuse football is hoping to bounce after the team's first loss of the season, a 21-18 disappointment against Cal on Saturday.
But there wasn't much time to stew on that loss, as head coach Fran Brown and his staff had to navigate the quickest turnaround of the season. They are back in action on Thursday night against conference rival Pitt.
The team will play a second game in less than a week, and the game marks the second conference matchup in that same time frame.
It's also the first road game of the season for the Orange, so here's what you need to know:
Recapping Syracuse football's first two games of the 2026 season
The Orange kicked off its 2026 season with a dominant 66-3 win over FCS New Hampshire.
The margin of victory in the home opener was the largest in the history of the JMA/Carrier Dome in nearly 100 years. The Orange could not match that same type of dominance in game two.
After leading for a large portion of the game, Syracuse squandered against the Golden Bears. The Orange beat themselves continuously, throwing three interceptions, including one in the final minute of the game. Furthermore, Syracuse had double-digit penalties, including one that nullified a punt return touchdown.
Syracuse Orange wide receiver Umari Hatcher (2) runs with the ball against the New Hampshire Wildcats during the first half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Rich Barnes-Imagn ImagesNo quarterback change for Orange
Quarterback Steve Angeli threw those three interceptions against Cal, but he's not going to be benched for performance reasons. Furthermore, there has been some question about whether or not Angeli, who had Achilles surgery last fall, is healthy, but he's not going to be benched for injury concerns either.
How have the Panthers played through two games?
In similar fashion to Syracuse, Pittsburgh opened its season with a blowout win over a non-conference opponent. The Panthers crushed Miami (Ohio) 59-14 on Sept. 5. Pittsburgh followed its impressive win in Week 1 with a strong defensive effort the following Saturday. Led by Braylan Lovelace's six tackle and one sack performance, the Panthers defeated the Central Florida Golden Knights 12-7. The offense for both teams clearly is looking to improve on Thursday.
Health status of impact players
For the Orange, it appears that star wide receiver Calvin Russell III won't play, but he is trending toward activation in early October.
After leaving the first drive of the game on Saturday with a quad injury, running back Tylik Hill is out. That means we should see plenty of LSU transfer Ju'Juan Johnson and freshman Shavane Anderson Jr.
As for Pittsburgh, running back Ja'Kyrian Turner, along with wide receivers Malik Knight and Benny Hasselrig, have been listed as questionable during the week.
History of the rivalry
Both programs view one another as a true rival in college football. The Panthers and Orange have been competing against one another for much longer than their tenues in the ACC. Both schools matched up frequently as members of the BIG East Conference before joining the ACC in 2014.
Thursday night's game marks the 82nd both schools have faced off. The Panthers hold the all-time series edge with a 45-33-3 record.
Syracuse has not defeated the Panthers in Pittsburgh since a 42-10 win in 2001.
Where can you follow Thursday's action?
ESPN will have the television coverage at 7:30 p.m. ET. On the audio side, fans can listen across multiple affiliates in New York State. In the Central New York area, the game will be broadcasted on the radio side on TK99/105 (99.5/100.5 FM) and WAER (88.3) and through Cuse.com.
Following the game, SyracuseRoundtable will be offering insight and takeaways from the evening contest.
