Syracuse Football: 2019 crystal ball bold predictions, top x-factors

Ryan Lee, Contributor

Syracuse Orange Football is back! Since the end of the Camping World Bowl in December the excitement for what the 2019 season will hold for the Orange. The expectations of Syracuse being in the conversation of the top teams in the ACC is not just a local one but a national one now.

However, I come into this preview with a warning and a disclaimer. In my life, I never really gotten to experience the great SU teams of the past. 1987 is a surreal story and the Donovan McNabb years are something of a dream. So I come into 2019 with a little more cautious optimism.

With Syracuse, a feeling of Murphy’s Law hangs over the program. In recent years it may be the inability for the team to keep key players healthy; such as Eric Dungey and Antwan Cordy and what became of the 2017 season.

So I cannot come to grips with choosing them to win the ACC or, spoiler alert beat Clemson *ducks* so please forgive me and sent all anger on Twitter to @BoyGreen25 because he is the reason why I have this platform to be depressing. So it is all his fault.

BUT HEY! This year isn’t going to be a dud and the Cuse just might find themselves in a New Year Six Bowl! They have a very favorable schedule this season.

Beginning with two winnable road games against progressively challenging opponents allows Syracuse to ease Tommy DeVito into the starting role while allowing the offensive line and linebacker groups to get their feet wet with real game action before Clemson Week 3. I feel even better with the returns of Sam Heckel, Adbul Adams, and Chris Elmore for Week 1.

When the Tigers come in on September 14, and they bring defending National Championship swag, and hopefully GameDay too, Syracuse will desperately need McKinley Williams back in the lineup to help contain Travis Etienne, who single-handedly led the comeback last season in Death Valley, but that might not be enough. I expect Syracuse to fall at home but I believe they will be more than competitive against Dabo Swinney’s squad.

But one blip against the what just might be the best team in the country again this season shouldn’t give a reason to panic for SU. Again very favorable schedule to finish out September 4-1 before their bye week and the rest of their ACC schedule.

The meaty part of the schedule puts Syracuse at home against Pittsburgh in a revenge game, Boston College a “rivalry,” game and Wake Forest for Senior Day for Moe Neal and others. North Carolina State is looking to replace Ryan Finley and Kelvin Harmon this year and most likely taking a step back from last year’s team that scored 41 in the Dome. Louisville also seems to be towards the bottom if not the very bottom of the conference.

The one misstep could be at Florida State. If the Seminoles can take a step forward with their offensive line they will be much better than they were a year ago. DeVito, while he has all the talent for a top QB in the ACC, is still relatively inexperienced. The 2018 relief performance of DeVito against FSU is what comes to mind when I reinsure myself that the Orange have their future QB. So I can see Syracuse winning this game but I cannot really pick them to go 11-1 in the regular season, I just can’t yet.

So I will settle for 10-2 a hell of a regular season with a potential Orange Bowl bid to play a top SEC or Big Ten School on December 30 in Prime Time. But the time to change the narrative and erase past prejudice and fears, like mine, is now.