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Syracuse Football: Multiple ACC Rivals Now in Coaching Flux
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- Syracuse Football: Multiple ACC Rivals Now in Coaching Flux
The Syracuse Orange football program seems to be trending up after consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) wins against North Carolina and No. 19 SMU.
The win on Saturday against the Mustangs was an incredible one that saw the Orange score in the waning seconds and deliver Fran Brown perhaps his most important win in his three-year tenure as head coach of the Orange.
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And the wins, which have gotten Syracuse back to .500 at 4-4, have presumably cooled the rhetoric around Brown's job security, which was reportedly tenuous as of a few weeks ago.
But while Syracuse is trending up, other programs within the ACC are in flux.
Florida State
FSU, which is arguably the most decorated program in the conference, is now 3-5 and losers of three straight games. Though they nearly knocked off No. 1 Miami two weeks ago, the Seminoles were beaten 36-24 at home by Clemson on Saturday, which sealed the fate for head coach Mike Norvell, who was fired on Sunday .
Syracuse doesn't play Florida State this season, so this move doesn't ultimately impact the Orange right now, but the two programs will meet at the JMA Wireless Dome in 2027.
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Given the history, tradition and resources that Florida State has, this will be a highly coveted job for coaches around the country. And for that reason, Syracuse fans should be taking notice of what happens. Anything that makes Florida State better is ultimately bad news for Brown's program.
Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell during the first quarter against the Miami Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
North Carolina State
The Wolfpack are 4-4 and 2-3 inside league play after beating California 31-10 on Saturday. The program just fired 14-year head coach Dave Doeren recently, meaning that's another program about to undergo a national search.
While the NC State job won't garner the same respect as the Florida State job, it might not need to. Former NFL quarterback Philip Rivers, who interviewed for the Buffalo Bills job last offseason, is reportedly a candidate for that job. He spoke somewhat coyly about it this weekend, as he wants to continue focusing on his job coaching high school football in Alabama.
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Syracuse and NC State do play each other this year, but again, anything that makes NC State better is ultimately bad for Syracuse.
Up next for the Orange
Syracuse is back in action next Saturday at home against Clemson, also one of the top programs in the ACC. Kickoff at the JMA Wireless is set for noon ET.
