Syracuse is here again. Back in that familiar position – on the brink of something that used to be a given in Central New York.

For years under head coach Paul Pasqualoni, playing in a bowl game was a guarantee, just like snow squalls hitting Syracuse in November.

But those days are gone. Now, making a bowl game – whether it’s played in Miami, Charlotte, N.C., or Detroit for that matter – is a cause for major celebration.

But shh. Quiet. Don’t mention that ‘B word’ quite yet. Sure, an SU victory over Temple on Saturday would all but wrap up a bowl berth for the Orange. It was just a year ago the Orange had Syracuse in a bowl frenzy.

Heading into a Nov. 29 contest at Rutgers, SU sat 5-5. A win would have put Syracuse at 3-4 in the Big East and likely propelled it to a bowl game.

We all know what happened on that day at Rutgers Stadium. It looked like the Big Man Upstairs didn’t want SU taking a holiday trip south. The wind blew the ball every which way, sending Syracuse home devastated and without a bowl game for the second straight year.

‘It always sticks in the back of your head,’ wide receiver Andre Fontenette said, ‘because of that feeling in your stomach.’

Maybe SU was overconfident last season – it entered the game as a huge favorite. Most figured the bowl invitation was in the mailbox.

Enter Temple, a team that on paper is much worse than the Scarlet Knights team SU faced a year ago. But the Owls are just as capable of an upset win, and the situation is eerily similar to the one the Orange dealt with last season.

Syracuse heads on the road late in the season to face an inferior opponent that’s playing with nothing to lose. Meanwhile, the Orange has everything to lose.

Currently, SU is in second place in the Big East. A win Saturday assures the Orange of nothing worse than a third-place finish. Also important are the tiebreakers Syracuse has over Connecticut and Pittsburgh.

Still, Temple – even though it’s only beaten Florida A&M – can’t be overlooked. Quarterback Walter Washington can take over a game with his running ability – just ask linebacker Tommy Harris, who was repeatedly victimized by Washington growing up in friendly fights and high school games.

‘We have to understand what to do to get to a bowl game,’ Pasqualoni said. ‘Right now, the only way to get into a bowl game is to beat Temple.’

In the Orange’s last trip to the City of Brotherly Love, the Owls treated Syracuse like anything but loving brothers. Temple defeated Syracuse, 17-16, and the game ended with the resounding clang of Collin Barber’s extra point that hit nothing but goal post.

‘The fact of the matter is it shouldn’t have come down to that,’ Fontenette said.

Maybe last year, the Orange was a little too confident. Maybe SU expected Rutgers to fall over and let Syracuse waltz to a bowl game.

The players have vowed this won’t be the case this season. They’ve learned from the last two years.

Fontenette said a few players have talked about the possibilities of a bowl game. But whenever conversation on the topic breaks out, other players remind the team to just focus on the task at hand.

Senior center Matt Tarullo, for one, said he doesn’t even want to hear the ‘B word.’ And who could blame him? In his first three years, he’s been to a bowl game just once. He’s looking at last year’s disaster against Rutgers as a lesson.

‘When one door closes,’ Tarullo said, ‘a window opens up.’

Will the Orange take advantage of that open window? They’re back on the brink, with a chance to show Syracuse football is back.

SU can’t let another door smash it in the face.