Entering the season, Syracuse would have been considered Notre Dame’s sixth-stiffest challenge, at best. This particular space lumped the Orange in as a “should-be win,” designating it as no higher than the eighth-toughest opponent awaiting the Irish.
That was wrong, all very wrong. At No. 12 now, Syracuse was overlooked and as a result, it may not be as well-known as it should be. To rectify that, here comes Stephen Baily of The Post-Standard and Syracuse.com …
DF: Stephen, I cannot say I ever anticipated this game being, well, this game.