Syracuse Football will be a Top 25 Team

What’s that I hear in the distance? It’s the winds of change. Last year at this point, Syracuse football was 2-3 coming off a 28-6 drubbing by Louisville. The injuries were piling up and the optimism our 2-0 start brought had all but evaporated. What a change a year can make.

Currently, SU sits at 3-1 and 1-0 in the ACC. Their one loss was against a top-10 team, a game which was still anyone’s to win until late in the fourth quarter. They are coming off the bye and getting all of their key players healthy. And the best part is, this team could seriously be 6-1 three weeks from now. That’s not a joke. It’s not a typo. It isn’t some pipe dream or wishful thinking, it’s what can and will happen if SU plays to their potential.

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This weekend comes our first road test against a 1-3 South Florida team. Although Syracuse is technically the underdog, they’ve got to be supremely confident after the fight they put up against LSU while starting a walk-on, fifth-string quarterback. With all of their weapons back and healthy, look for SU to make a statement game and romp all over USF. I really don’t see it being that close, as I think Dungey will come out firing and SU’s defense will dominate in a 31-13 victory.

That makes 4-1. The following week Syracuse faces Virginia. They are currently 1-3 with their only win coming in a rather close victory against FCS opponent William and Mary. The Virginia defense has given up a whopping 38 points per game. They just got steamrolled by Boise State, 56-14. Although this is the perfect “trap game” for SU, I really don’t expect the game to be that close. I think our offense, powered by Dungey, Fredericks, Morris, Estime, and Ishmael will go to town on their weak defense. I expect the game to be out of reach by halftime, and a final score of 38-10.

That makes 5-1. The next game will be by far the toughest in this stretch, as they face Pittsburgh. Pitt is currently 3-1 and playing well, despite losing their top two runningbacks for the season. Qadre Ollison, a freshman, has filled the void quite well and has over 400 yards on the ground already. Their defense has also played well, giving up roughly 250 yards a game and just 71 yards a game on the ground! They just held Virginia Tech to 100 yards of total offense. They definitely have talent. Even so, I think that Syracuse can win the game for three main reasons.

First, it’s a home game for SU. If they win the next two, they’d be 5-1 with a chance to be bowl eligible with one more victory. The dome would be rocking like it was for the LSU game, and that is a huge benefit to the home team. The “Loud House” is back in business.

Second, although they have a very stout run defense (ranked 4th nationally), their pass defense has been spotty at times. I could see Eric Dungey lighting them up with play action if they commit to stopping SU’s potent rushing attack.

Lastly, I think we will win the battle of special teams. So far it has been a big strength of Syracuse football. They’ve continually won the field position battle and have made some great plays with the special teams unit. I see that trend continuing for the Orange as they squeak out a close victory, 24-21.

And there it is. SU hits the 6-1 mark, becomes bowl eligible, and also grabs a top-25 ranking for the first time since 2001! You heard it here first folks.

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