Syracuse University’s Football Team Bowl-Bound, Will Play South Florida in the Boca Raton Bowl

For the second straight season, the Syracuse University football team has qualified for a bowl game, the first time the Orange have secured back-to-back postseason appearances since the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

After closing out the regular season with a 35-31 win over Wake Forest on Senior Day inside the JMA Wireless Dome to become bowl eligible, the Orange found out their postseason fate Sunday afternoon.

Student athletes on the Syracuse University football team put their hands in during a team huddle.
The Syracuse University football team will take on the University of South Florida in the Boca Raton Bowl on Dec. 21.

Syracuse (6-6, 2-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) will travel to Boca Raton, Florida, to play the University of South Florida (6-6, 4-4 in the American Athletic Conference) in the Boca Raton Bowl. The game kicks off at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 21, and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN.

Fans who are interested in making the trip to Florida to cheer on the Orange are encouraged to fill out the Syracuse football bowl ticket interest form. Ticket information will be shared there as soon as it is available.

While Fran Brown was named the 31st head coach in program history on Nov. 28, interim head coach Nunzio Campanile, who led the Orange during their win over Wake Forest, will coach Syracuse during the bowl game.

This year’s squad earned the 28th bowl appearance in program history, with the Orange sporting a 16-10-1 record all-time in bowl games. This will be Syracuse’s first time playing in the Boca Raton Bowl.

The matchup will pit two former Big East rivals who have some history playing each other. Syracuse and South Florida played annually as Big East conference members from 2005-12, and again in 2015 and 2016.

The Orange and the Bulls have met 10 times previously, with Syracuse losing eight of the 10 matchups. The Orange last defeated the Bulls 37-36 on Oct. 27, 2012, in Tampa Bay, Florida.