The Orange's 2012 season was their last as members of the Big East Conference. They finished the year with an 8–5 record, and finished as conference co-champions, with a 5–2 record in Big East play. The Orange capped off their season with a win in the 2012 New Era Pinstripe Bowl over long-time rival West Virginia.
Preseason
After the conclusion of the season, head coach Doug Marrone was mentioned by several sportswriters as a possible candidate for a head coaching job in the National Football League. On January 6, 2013, Marrone was introduced as the head coach of the Buffalo Bills. Offensive coordinatorNathaniel Hackett departed for Buffalo as well, leaving a number of coaching positions open. On January 9, Syracuse announced the promotion of defensive coordinator Scott Shafer to head coach. Shortly thereafter, George McDonald was announced as the new offensive coordinator, and Chuck Bullough was announced as the new defensive coordinator.
Penn State Leads Series: 43–23–5 The Orange opened their season by traveling to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ to renew their rivalry with the Penn State Nittany Lions. This was the 71st all-time meeting between the two schools. Neither offense could get much going in the first half, and the score stood 6–3 in favor of Penn State at the break. The second half proved to be better for the Lions, as quarterback Christian Hackenberg lead the team to a 23–10 lead early in the 4th quarter. A Jerome Smith touchdown late in the game cut the deficit to 23–17, but the potential Orange comeback fell short when quarterback Drew Allen threw his second interception of the game late in the 4th. ----
Syracuse Leads Series: 1–0 The Orange hosted Wagner in their home opener at the Carrier Dome in the first ever meeting between the two universities. Syracuse's offense put on a dominating performance and rolled to a 54–0 win, their first of the season. ----
Syracuse Leads Series: 7–1 Tulane visits the Carrier Dome for the first time since the 1999 season. This is the second meeting in three years between the two teams. ----
Syracuse is Tied in Series: 1–1 The Orange's first conference game as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference was a matchup against the 3rd ranked Clemson Tigers. This was the second all-time meeting between Clemson and Syracuse, with the first ending in a 41–0 victory for the Orange in the 1996 Gator Bowl. Clemson evened the overall series with a 49–14 victory behind a career night by Tajh Boyd who went 20 for 27 for 455 yards and 5 touchdowns. ----
Georgia Tech Leads Series: 2–0 Syracuse looked to avenge a 51–14 drubbing at the hands of Georgia Tech in their last meeting, which was the 2004 Champs Sports Bowl. ----
Wake Forest
Previous Meeting
Previous Winner
2011
Syracuse, 36–29 OT
Series Tied: 1–1 The last meeting between the two schools occurred in the 2011 season, with the Orange winning in a thrilling overtime affair. ----
Maryland
Syracuse Leads Series: 18–14–2 This was the only conference matchup between these two teams, as the Terrapins will be joining the Big Ten Conference for the 2014 season. ----
Florida State Leads Series: 5–1 The Orange made their last road trip of the season to take on the Florida State Seminoles. This was their first game as conference opponents. ----
Pittsburgh Leads Series: 34–31–3 The Orange hosted familiar rival Pittsburgh in their first meeting as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. This matchup was designated as a protected inter-division crossover game that will be played annually. ----
Boston College
Syracuse Leads Series: 28–18 Formerly Big East Conference rivals, Syracuse and Boston College played their first game as conference opponents to close out the regular season. The 2013 edition was a must-win for the Orange in order to be bowl-eligible. ----
