Four months ago, I gathered with hundreds of other football junkies at the ACC’s Football Kickoff event in Charlotte, NC. While there, I found myself going back and forth about how many games SU would win this year. Six, seven, or would they fail to reach a bowl game yet again?
Not once did I think this Orange team had the potential to win nine games. They can do that on Saturday against Boston College.
My thought process was simple: Syracuse will make a bowl game and at best case win eight games. Anyone who thinks they’ll win more than eight is crazy. Well, it looks like I’m the crazy one. I expect the Orange to win this weekend. When they do, we all owe Dino Babers and his staff an apology.
Syracuse has bucked so many negative trends this year, including no wins after the bye, winning away from home in the ACC and being able to overcome injuries to significant players. Babers told us before the season that his program made adjustments and we are seeing those changes come to life.
Looking at last week’s loss to Notre Dame, it wasn’t pretty.
And SU 🏈 dips seven spots to No. 19 in both the AP and Coaches polls on the heels of a 36-3 loss vs. Notre Dame. That’s tied with Iowa State for the biggest drop in the Top 25.
The fact is, though, Syracuse wasn’t ready for that moment. If I’ve learned anything over the past few years is that Babers means what he says. He told us his guys weren’t ready for this moment, but they will be soon. The Fighting Irish are more than likely heading to the College Football Playoff and showed us why.
What an incredible season this has been for Syracuse. Think about the teams it has lost to: the #2 Clemson Tigers, the #3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Pitt Panthers, champions of the ACC’s coastal division. Unlike years past, the Orange don’t have a single bad loss on their resume.
Imagine what a win over Boston College would do for this program. They’d pick up win number nine on the season and be in position to play in a more-than-decent bowl game for win number ten on the season.
Syracuse vs. Boston College: What Bowls are the Orange Playing For This Weekend?