Syracuse and Louisiana State are discussing a possible home-and-home football series, SU Athletics Chief Communications Officer Joe Giansante told The Daily Orange on Thursday .

“Any report about actually having it done, those are premature,” Giansante said in a phone interview. “But we are having discussions and those discussions are focused on a game in Baton Rouge and a game in Syracuse.”

The last time Syracuse and LSU played was in the 1989 Hall of Fame Bowl in Tampa, Fla. The Orange would face its first Southeastern Conference opponent since 2012, when it beat Missouri 31-27.

Giansante said the Syracuse home game would be at the Carrier Dome, not at MetLife Stadium. Other details of the potential series with LSU are still in the works.

“There’s no deal, and we’re in the discussion phase,” Giansante said.

CBSSports.com reported that the LSU series would begin in 2015 in Death Valley, however Giansante said that report is inaccurate. Syracuse and LSU are not that far along in the process, he said, therefore there is no way those details could be ironed out at this point in time.

Giansante said the main goal of playing a perennial powerhouse like LSU is to continue to build upon the success Syracuse has had in recent seasons. The Syracuse football brand “has momentum” with three bowl wins in four years, he said.

“We want to measure ourselves against the best,” Giansante said. “There are games that have tremendous upside if you can find a way to win. You can’t climb the ladder unless you climb your way up.”

Another main goal of the LSU series — or a similar-type series — would be to lure fans into the Carrier Dome, Giansante said. He said he wants to continue to build excitement around the program, and believes bringing in a team like LSU would help hook fans.

Syracuse currently has a two-for-one scheduled with Central Michigan. The Orange travels to play the Chippewas on Sept. 13, and CMU is slated to come to the Carrier Dome in 2015 and 2017. SU also has a home-and-home scheduled with Maryland where the Terrapins will come to the Dome on Sept. 20, and the Orange will travel to College Park in 2019.

SU will play Notre Dame at MetLife in 2014 and 2016. Syracuse will travel to Beaver Stadium to face Penn State in 2020 and host the Nittany Lions in 2021.

“I think it’s great interest to our fans,” Giansante said about the potential LSU series. “We want people to start coming to the Dome.”

Published on March 13, 2014 at 4:52 pm

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