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From our Syracuse site at Rivals.com ...
Syracuse finds itself in a familiar position to a year ago. The Orange head into the heart of conference play undefeated with hopes of finding themselves in the Top 25 with another good result. Avoiding stumbling out of the gate is always a good thing, even if it has not been against the best quality competition.
ESPN Football Power Index ranks Syracuse’s strength of schedule through four weeks as the 119th toughest in the country. Reminder, there are only 133 D-1 football programs. Being 4-0 is great, but it is important to add context.
However, the likelihood of replicating the 6-0 start from 2022 seems very low considering the next three opponents. SU plays home vs. Clemson this weekend before visiting North Carolina and Florida State. It is an absolutely brutal stretch.
But it is also a massive opportunity.
Facing Clemson will not be the easiest way to figure things out. Syracuse relied heavily on Oronde Gadsden and Sean Tucker last year to nearly pull the upset in Death Valley. Gasden is out of the rest of the season with an injury and Tucker is now suiting up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Meanwhile, ‘Cuse had its worst game of the year against Florida State in a 38-3 loss. The Orange did not face the Tar Heels in 2022.
More than likely, Syracuse will head into their bye week towards the end of October sitting at 4-3. That is fine. There is no need to panic if SU loses their next three games.
That being said, they also cannot afford a repeat of last season. After starting 6-0 in 2022, the Orange lost six of their last seven, including their bowl game. If Dino Babers’ team is noncompetitive for three straight weeks, that is the type of stretch that can demoralize a team, derail a season and negatively impact recruiting efforts.
The key for SU is going to be in the trenches. The offensive line played much better against Army, but the unit can ill afford another outing like it had against Purdue, when it surrendered five sacks. The defensive lines for Clemson, UNC and Florida State are going to be a way bigger test than the Boilermakers as well.
The defensive line will be crucial to Syracuse’s chances of scoring an upset as well. When facing Clemson and Florida State last year, the Orange were gashed for 293 yards and 230 yards respectively. North Carolina can move it on the ground as well with star running back Omarion Hampton averaging just shy of 100 yards per game on the ground by himself.
SU should be in much better shape to slow down the opposing ground game. Kevon Darton has been a revelation, plus they have Marlowe Wax and Stefon Thompson back healthy this year. The Orange through four games are tied for 20th in the country in rushing yards allowed per game and ninth in yards per carry allowed. The ACC’s elite programs will have better offensive lines and running backs than the likes of Western Michigan and Army, but an improved run defense gives Syracuse a chance.
The goal here is nothing outlandish. It is simply to avoid getting blown out in three straight games against quality opponents. Consider it proof of concept for what Dino Babers is building in Central New York.
The Orange need it in a big way. Babers had his worst recruiting class in his tenure with Syracuse in 2023. He signed only nine 3-star recruits according to Rivals, ranking 86th in the nation. His worst ranking prior had been 65th, coming just the year before.
If the Orange finish the season at 7-5 once again, heading to a mid-tier bowl game, that will probably be a successful season. Consistency has been hard to come by under Babers.
However, the tenor of the conversations will be shifted largely by their next three results. If they come close to upsetting Clemson again, give North Carolina a scare and hang around into the third quarter with Florida State, that will be a huge win for the narrative around the program. Babers will be closing the gap on the top programs. Beating one of those teams would lend even more credence to that idea.
On the flip side, if that same 7-5 finish includes three losses to the top teams in the conference by an average margin of three touchdowns, it will be clear that Syracuse is a middling team feasting on a weak non-conference schedule and picking off the bottom feeders in the ACC to reach a bowl game.
There are plenty of schools that do it (I’m looking at you Maryland), but narrative matters in recruiting. When you are trying to beat out schools in a similar tier to land a prospect, you want to be able to say you are actively growing and have hopes of beating the top programs in the country. If there is nothing to back that up, it is going to be a tough pitch.
Babers seems to be building some momentum in recruiting for now. The Orange rank in the top 50 nationally in Rivals’ 2024 recruiting rankings.
However, they are still 11th in the conference, so there is plenty of room for upward mobility. There is always pressure to perform in big games on national television, and SU kicks off against Clemson at noon on ABC this Saturday. There is just a bit more when you consider all of the larger implications.
From our Syracuse site at Rivals.com ...
Massive opportunity looms for Dino Babers and Syracuse
By: Chis McGlynn - TheJuiceOnlineSyracuse finds itself in a familiar position to a year ago. The Orange head into the heart of conference play undefeated with hopes of finding themselves in the Top 25 with another good result. Avoiding stumbling out of the gate is always a good thing, even if it has not been against the best quality competition.
ESPN Football Power Index ranks Syracuse’s strength of schedule through four weeks as the 119th toughest in the country. Reminder, there are only 133 D-1 football programs. Being 4-0 is great, but it is important to add context.
However, the likelihood of replicating the 6-0 start from 2022 seems very low considering the next three opponents. SU plays home vs. Clemson this weekend before visiting North Carolina and Florida State. It is an absolutely brutal stretch.
But it is also a massive opportunity.
Facing Clemson will not be the easiest way to figure things out. Syracuse relied heavily on Oronde Gadsden and Sean Tucker last year to nearly pull the upset in Death Valley. Gasden is out of the rest of the season with an injury and Tucker is now suiting up for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Meanwhile, ‘Cuse had its worst game of the year against Florida State in a 38-3 loss. The Orange did not face the Tar Heels in 2022.
More than likely, Syracuse will head into their bye week towards the end of October sitting at 4-3. That is fine. There is no need to panic if SU loses their next three games.
That being said, they also cannot afford a repeat of last season. After starting 6-0 in 2022, the Orange lost six of their last seven, including their bowl game. If Dino Babers’ team is noncompetitive for three straight weeks, that is the type of stretch that can demoralize a team, derail a season and negatively impact recruiting efforts.
The key for SU is going to be in the trenches. The offensive line played much better against Army, but the unit can ill afford another outing like it had against Purdue, when it surrendered five sacks. The defensive lines for Clemson, UNC and Florida State are going to be a way bigger test than the Boilermakers as well.
The defensive line will be crucial to Syracuse’s chances of scoring an upset as well. When facing Clemson and Florida State last year, the Orange were gashed for 293 yards and 230 yards respectively. North Carolina can move it on the ground as well with star running back Omarion Hampton averaging just shy of 100 yards per game on the ground by himself.
SU should be in much better shape to slow down the opposing ground game. Kevon Darton has been a revelation, plus they have Marlowe Wax and Stefon Thompson back healthy this year. The Orange through four games are tied for 20th in the country in rushing yards allowed per game and ninth in yards per carry allowed. The ACC’s elite programs will have better offensive lines and running backs than the likes of Western Michigan and Army, but an improved run defense gives Syracuse a chance.
The goal here is nothing outlandish. It is simply to avoid getting blown out in three straight games against quality opponents. Consider it proof of concept for what Dino Babers is building in Central New York.
The Orange need it in a big way. Babers had his worst recruiting class in his tenure with Syracuse in 2023. He signed only nine 3-star recruits according to Rivals, ranking 86th in the nation. His worst ranking prior had been 65th, coming just the year before.
If the Orange finish the season at 7-5 once again, heading to a mid-tier bowl game, that will probably be a successful season. Consistency has been hard to come by under Babers.
However, the tenor of the conversations will be shifted largely by their next three results. If they come close to upsetting Clemson again, give North Carolina a scare and hang around into the third quarter with Florida State, that will be a huge win for the narrative around the program. Babers will be closing the gap on the top programs. Beating one of those teams would lend even more credence to that idea.
On the flip side, if that same 7-5 finish includes three losses to the top teams in the conference by an average margin of three touchdowns, it will be clear that Syracuse is a middling team feasting on a weak non-conference schedule and picking off the bottom feeders in the ACC to reach a bowl game.
There are plenty of schools that do it (I’m looking at you Maryland), but narrative matters in recruiting. When you are trying to beat out schools in a similar tier to land a prospect, you want to be able to say you are actively growing and have hopes of beating the top programs in the country. If there is nothing to back that up, it is going to be a tough pitch.
Babers seems to be building some momentum in recruiting for now. The Orange rank in the top 50 nationally in Rivals’ 2024 recruiting rankings.
However, they are still 11th in the conference, so there is plenty of room for upward mobility. There is always pressure to perform in big games on national television, and SU kicks off against Clemson at noon on ABC this Saturday. There is just a bit more when you consider all of the larger implications.
