They seem like old, fiery rivals. Don’t they? Syracuse. Connecticut. Trading barbs and tackles on the football field. It’s one of those too-good-to-be-true matchups, a writer’s dream with subplots galore.

The ol‘ Syracuse ball coach goes back to his birth state, where he broke into coaching. There’s the young UConn head coach, returning to Syracuse to coach against his alma mater. Don’t forget the inception of the New Big East, with Connecticut leading the charge.

Seems like they’ve been playing for ages, right? Nope. When Connecticut visits the Carrier Dome on Saturday, it will be the first time the two teams meet.

Ever.

Seems odd that perhaps SU’s biggest rivalry game this season is against a team it has never played before.

Maybe it’s the history of Syracuse-UConn basketball that makes it seem like these schools are four-letter words in each other’s back yards. On the basketball side, UConn and Syracuse have been members of the Big East Conference since its inception in 1979. They’ve won two straight national championships and garnered tons of national attention.

‘I would hope it would develop (into a rivalry),’ SU head coach Paul Pasqualoni said. ‘I would say that it will, if what has happened in Big East basketball between Syracuse and Connecticut is any indication.’

Saturday’s game means as much to the fans as it does to the players on either side. In reality, both teams likely won’t win the Big East. But the game is for Northeast bragging rights, too. Only four hours from Syracuse, Storrs, Conn., is the closest Big East football stop on SU’s schedule. So expect a lot of Huskies fans tailgating in the parking lots. The same holds true for when SU visits UConn in the future.

‘They are right down the street from us,’ said SU defensive end Julian Pollard, a Connecticut native. ‘So I think it is going to be big for this program and for that program.’

Already, there are pages of venomous postings on SU and UConn message boards. Some of it is bitter. Most of it is petty name-calling. Perfect for a budding rivalry.

Recruiting is also at stake in this matchup. Syracuse, and specifically Paul Pasqualoni, has recruited athletes from Connecticut for years. There are six Orange players from Connecticut on this year’s team. The winner of Saturday’s game may tip the scale for either SU or Connecticut in the state recruiting battle, so there’s more at stake than bragging rights and a conference win. The basketball teams rage the same recruiting battle for top Northeast talent each year. Now its time for the two schools to do it on the football side.

‘Can (the rivalry) transfer over to football?’ strong safety Diamond Ferri said. ‘Possibly. I don’t know. We’ll have to see how it goes on Saturday.’

Chances are it will, regardless of the outcome. But here’s a hunch: The game will be close. It will be intense. There will be a lot of UConn fans in the Dome. And in 10 years, when the UConn game is the biggest on Syracuse’s schedule, know that you were there for the first football meeting between Syracuse and Connecticut.

The game? That starts Saturday. The rivalry? That’s already begun.

Michael Becker is an assistant sports editor at The Daily Orange, where his columns appear regularly. E-mail him at mibecker@syr.edu.

Published on October 27, 2004 at 12:00 pm