There’s no place like dome, especially when over 45,000 fans are cheering. And the "loudhouse" is expected to be the loudest it's been since before the pandemic on Saturday afternoon, when the Syracuse Orange takes on the NC State Wolfpack.

It's a top-20 showdown, the first one since 1998.

“I wasn’t even born. That’s a long time,” said Mikel Jones, who's had two sacks and a forced fumble this season.

“I wasn’t even a thought,” said quarterback Garrett Shrader, who has 10 touchdowns.

More than 45,000 tickets are already sold.

“It can make a big difference," said running back Sean Tucker, who has six touchdowns.

"The dome is loud. The noise is going to be an issue,” admitted Dave Doeren, NC State football coach.

A bowl berth is on the line, and a chance to keep a perfect record intact.

“Yeah, we want to keep winning," Shrader said. "It’s the next game. That’s why it’s the most important.”

The stage is set for the game against NC State, a team that SU has two wins over in 15 tries.

“This is going to be 15-round heavyweight," SU coach Dino Babers said. "You’re going to get hit really, really hard. How you handle that is going to affect the game.”

Last year, the Wolfpack rolled, tallying up nearly 400 yards to SU’s 236. But ACC Preseason Player of the Year Devin Leary was under center all week. He’s been day-to-day after suffering a shoulder injury last Saturday.

“They ran a lot when the second quarterback came in last week, but we’re still preparing like Devin is going to be the starter,” Jones said.

The last time the Orange beat the Wolfpack was 2018 at the dome, when a 51-point barrage led to win number six and a bowl berth.

“We understand, we can go back and look in the past, but it doesn’t determine what will happen in the future," Babers said. "This is a good football team. We have a good football team too. After this, both teams will know exactly where they’re at.”

Much like 2018, SU has one of the best offenses in the conference, and are eager to prove that a 5-0 start isn’t a fluke.

“I think there is always going to be doubters, as a whole our team, we know what we can do,” Tucker said. “I think it’ll be a fun one," Shrader said. "I think if we take care of business, do what we’re supposed to, the scoreboard should be in our favor at the end of the game.”

In addition to Tucker, Shrader was added as a contender for the Maxwell Award Watchlist, which is given to the nation's most outstanding football player. The quarterback has been slinging, and has the second-best efficiency rating in the conference. He's coming off a monster performance over Wagner, when he was a perfect 17 for 17.