Syracuse Football: Athlon Sports says SU is a top-30 team in nation

Is the Syracuse football program one of the top-30 in the nation? Here’s why Athlon Sports says that’s very much the case heading into 2019.

In 2018 the Syracuse football program put itself on the map. A 10-3 season with a Camping World Bowl victory will often do that for a program. But what’s next for the Orange?

The Syracuse football program is going to look very different in 2019. Eric Dungey has finally graduated and he’s pursuing professional opportunities in the NFL. Which means for the first time in years a new quarterback will be taking over on the hill and his name is Tommy DeVito.

Despite the changing of the guard at quarterback, many national pundits still think Syracuse will be one of the top teams not only in the ACC in 2019, but one of the best teams in the country.

One of those pundits is Athlon Sports columnist Steve Lassan who says Syracuse right now is the 27th best team in the nation:

"27. SyracuseEric Dungey is gone, but Syracuse’s offense should have no trouble scoring points behind sophomore quarterback Tommy DeVito. Coach Dino Babers has some extra firepower at his disposal with transfers Abdul Adams (running back) and Trishton Jackson (receiver) eligible for a full year in 2019."

Spring ball has already begun for Syracuse and No. 2 is no longer gracing the sidelines. Despite that Orange head coach Dino Babers said SU had its’ best opening practice since he’s been here at Syracuse.

While DeVito is set to be the big man on campus for the first time, it should be noted that he isn’t a freshman. In fact, this will be his third campaign on the hill in 2019:

• Tommy redshirted his first year at Syracuse.
• In 2018, DeVito played in seven games (starting none) accumulating 525 passing yards, a four-to-three touchdown to interception ratio and posting a 109.5 quarterback rating. But perhaps what was most impressive was his ability to lead Syracuse to a 30-7 win over Florida State and his improbable comeback with less than 10 minutes remaining to save Syracuse’s season in what ended up being a 40-37 double-overtime win over lowly North Carolina.
  • Context is always important so for those who don’t remember: Syracuse entered that North Carolina game on a two-game losing streak and was on pace to lose a third straight vs the Tar Heels. Which would’ve put Syracuse at 4-3 on the season heading towards a prime-time top-25 matchup vs NC State, a four-game losing streak and the entire season collapsing was a major possibility. DeVito deserves a lot of credit for saving Syracuse.

A new era is set to begin at Syracuse whether Orange fans like it or not. Unlike years past it seems like the national media is on the Babers bandwagon heading into the 2019 season, we’ll see if Syracuse can, in fact, live up to those massive expectations.