Stability for No. 21 Syracuse, new faces for WSU in Holiday Bowl

When No. 21 Syracuse faces Washington State in the Holiday Bowl on Friday in San Diego, the matchup presents itself, in many ways, as stability vs. chaos.

The Orange (9-3) have won their last three games, including a 42-38 upset of Miami in the regular-season finale, to enter the postseason with considerable momentum. More importantly, Syracuse has a head coach/quarterback combo that it can count on, as first-year coach Fran Brown has turned around the program, thanks in large part to standout signal-caller Kyle McCord.

Meanwhile, the Cougars (8-4) are dealing with the opposite situation — and their three-game losing streak to end the regular season is the least of their concerns.

Cougars coach Jake Dickert recently bolted for Wake Forest, while quarterback John Mateer announced that he is transferring to Oklahoma. More than 25 Washington State players have reportedly entered the transfer portal, which has turned Syracuse from a slight favorite in this game to a two-touchdown favorite at some sportsbooks.

As for Syracuse, Brown has his sights set on double-digit victories in his first year at the helm. The program has only won 10 games in a season once over the last two decades.

“(We’re) just trying to get to 10 wins,” said McCord, who finished 10th in the Heisman Trophy balloting after throwing for a national-best 4,326 yards and 29 touchdowns. “I think that would be a huge accomplishment for us and the team. I’m excited for it.”

Not only has McCord decided to play in the bowl game, but he is reportedly challenging the NCAA for an additional year of eligibility.

“We don’t opt out around here. We love football,” Brown said.

Meanwhile, Washington State is scrambling under acting head coach Pete Kaligis and new No. 1 quarterback Zevi Eckhaus.

A senior who has thrown only seven passes this season, Eckhaus will be making his first start for the Cougars. And he has enormous shoes to fill, as Mateer threw for 3,139 yards and 29 touchdowns and ran for a team-high 826 yards and 15 more scores.

“My message to (the players) was, ‘I know who we are. We’re going to play this game, and I’m going to give you everything that I have in the next nine days, that when you look back in 10 years, you’ll go, ‘Wow, that was a very special time and I didn’t even realize it,” Kaligis said. “I just love them so much. I want them to have everything. I want them to have everything in the next eight days.”

Washington State has lost its last three bowl appearances and has not won a postseason contest since the Alamo Bowl at the end of the 2018 season.

Finally, a commonality between the two programs, as Syracuse also is looking for its first bowl win since the conclusion of the 2018 season, as that victory in the Camping World Bowl has been followed by bowl losses in each of the last two years.

“I think (a win in the Holiday Bowl) would put us on the right track (in future years) to be able to reach our ultimate goal,” Brown said, “which is to get to the college playoffs, which is to win the conference championship and then win a national championship. That was the goal the entire time.”

–Field Level Media