Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse coach Fran Brown spent two years at Georgia being taught to hate the folks in Knoxville.
His players say he’s playing “Rocky Top” obnoxiously loud at practice. He’s played the Tennessee fight song so much that the Orange can barely stomach the sound of it anymore.
Both Syracuse and Tennessee sport new-look offenses in 2025, and Saturday’s Aflac Kickoff serves as a litmus test for two programs that are in states of revival. They both finished 10-3 last season. It was Syracuse’s first 10-win season since 2018 and Tennessee’s second since 2007.
As Syracuse prepares for one of its toughest Week 1 opponents in recent memory, here are 10 things to know heading into the Aflac Kickoff.
Winless against Tennessee
These two programs have played each other three times throughout their history, and the last game wasn’t close at all.
Tennessee won the matchups in 1966 and 1998 by a combined seven points. When the teams met again in 2001, Tennessee won, 33-9, at Neyland Stadium.
Dwight Freeney had two sacks, three more pressures and a fumble recovery in that game. He’s back with the Orange 24 years later as a player development coach. If Brown is looking for a way to get his team fired up, Freeney could be the Doug Collins to his Redeem Team.
Top 25 success
While the Volunteers struggled with ranked teams last season, the opposite was true for the Orange. Syracuse had down-to-the-wire games with UNLV (No. 24) and Miami (No. 13). Syracuse’s issue was playing down to its competition.
It led to losses against Stanford and Boston College. After an offseason of wearing shirts to remind them of those losses, Syracuse is looking to put it all together.
Batting 1.000 against top-25 teams will be more difficult in 2025 as the Orange plays four playoff teams from last season, along with Miami and an improved Duke team that just missed the rankings last season.
However, if Syracuse wins four of those six games, it may be the Orange that heads to the playoff this time around.
Quarterback duel
Both teams are replacing their quarterbacks from last season. Syracuse replaced Kyle McCord, who became the ACC’s single-season passing leader, with Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli.
Tennessee replaced Nico Iamaleava with Appalachian State transfer Joey Aguilar. Of the two quarterbacks playing in this game, Angeli is the closest thing to being proven in an environment they’ll deal with Saturday during a nationally televised game inside an NFL stadium.
Angeli was forced to make a relief appearance for the Irish in their Orange Bowl win against Penn State. He completed six of his seven passes on that drive and led Notre Dame to a pivotal touchdown.
Aguilar, on the other hand, threw 14 interceptions last season while completing just 55.9% of his passes in a Sun Belt conference that has yet to garner consideration for a CFP berth or New Year’s Six bowl since the CFP’s 2014 inception.
Explosive offenses
These were two of the best offenses in college football last season. Syracuse ranked seventh in the FBS in total offense while Tennessee ranked 15th. The Volunteers were tied for 12th in scoring offense while the Orange ranked 21st at 1.6 points per game fewer than Tennessee.
The difference between the teams was where they got their productivity. Tennessee was more balanced, boasting the ninth-best rushing offense in the country. Syracuse ranked 125th, sandwiched between Hawaii and Temple.
Meanwhile, Syracuse had the top passing offense in the country while Tennessee ranked 77th. Syracuse is expected to earn most of its production through the air again. Tennessee has young receivers and a turnover-prone quarterback, which will likely lead it to running again.
Essentially, expect to see contrasting styles that produce equal efficiency in Saturday’s contest.
Fresh faces
When Syracuse releases a depth chart, fans can expect to see about 19 new starters for the Orange between offense, defense and special teams.
Tennessee is in a similar position as the Volunteers have returned just 13 starters from last season. Saturday’s game could easily come down to which quarterback developed the best connections with his new wide receivers.
Week 1 trends
Syracuse has won 10 of its last 11 season openers with its only loss coming to North Carolina in 2020. However, Saturday is the first time Syracuse will begin the season away from home since 2021.
Along those lines, the Aflac Kickoff is Syracuse’s first neutral-site opener since the 2013 loss to Penn State in the NY College Classic at MetLife Stadium.
Tennessee is undefeated in four season openers under coach Josh Heupel, outscoring its opponents 215-32. Two of those games were against MAC opponents and another was against an FCS team. The one Power Four win came against Virginia in 2023, when the Cavaliers finished 3-9.
Injury report
Syracuse is relatively healthy. Sophomore tight end Jamie Tremble has been dealing with leg spasms but has been practicing.
Senior defensive tackle George Rooks Jr., senior center Austin Collins and redshirt freshman Emanuel Ross were banged up with minor injuries toward the end of fall camp.
Freshman wide receiver Darius Johnson (fractured fibula) will not play in the opener. Syracuse is hoping he can return for the start of conference play on Sept. 20 at Clemson.
Tennessee junior cornerback Jermod McCoy, a projected first-round NFL pick next year, is questionable to play as he recovers from a torn ACL he suffered in December.
How to watch
The Aflac Kickoff will air on ABC. Kickoff is set for noon.
The game will be broadcast on WSYR-TV, Channel 9, in Central New York. Here are the channel numbers for ABC outside the Syracuse area:
- Albany – WTEN, channel 10
- Binghamton – WIVT, channel 34
- Buffalo – WKBW-TV, channel 7
- Elmira – WENY-TV, channel 36
- New York City – WABC-TV, channel 7
- Rochester – WHAM-TV, channel 13
- Utica – WUTR, channel 20
- Watertown – WWTI, channel 50
- Spread: Syracuse +14 (-110), Tennessee -14 (-105)
- Moneyline: Syracuse +440, Tennessee -580
- Total: Over/Under 50.5 (-110/-105)
Best eligible promos:
- DraftKings: $300 in bonus bets + $200 NFL Sunday Ticket discount
- Bet365: $200 in bonus bets (use code “SYRACUSE”)
- BetMGM: $150 in bonus bets (use code “CUSE150″)
Please note that in New York, you cannot bet on in-state college teams. This applies to both home and road games. However, you can bet on college teams from schools located outside of the state.
BRENT AXE: Tennessee 35, Syracuse 27
CHRIS CARLSON: Tennessee 23, Syracuse 17
JAVON EDMONDS: Syracuse 28, Tennessee 24
NATE MINK: Tennessee 31, Syracuse 17
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