While the loss of QB Eric Dungey hurt Syracuse's attack, the way the Irish defense performed on all three levels would have made it unlikely for the Orange to be a bona fide threat in this game.
https://notredame.rivals.com/news/notre-dame-syracuse-on-paper-revisited-1
https://notredame.rivals.com/news/notre-dame-syracuse-on-paper-revisited-1