I’ve gone on record in saying that Syracuse football head coach Dino Babers needs to guide his Orange to a bowl game at the conclusion of the 2022 season. Otherwise, Syracuse University leaders should commence their search for a new head coach at the ‘Cuse.
The 2022 campaign is still several months away, although I am excited about what I think the Orange can do in the upcoming term. And one recent projection does have the ‘Cuse placed in a bowl contest at the end of the 2022 stanza.
In super early projections of the 2022 bowl line-up, Brad Crawford of 247Sports has Syracuse football going up against Cincinnati in the Fenway Bowl, which is held in Boston’s Fenway Park.
This could prove an intriguing, and challenging, battle for the Orange. In 2021, the Bearcats went undefeated in the regular season and earned the No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff.
In a semifinal duel, Cincinnati lost to the No. 1 seed, Alabama, by a final count of 27-6, ending the Bearcats’ season at 13-1 overall, with Cincinnati being ranked No. 4 across the country. The Crimson Tide would then fall to No. 3 seed Georgia in the CFP national-title game.
Numerous ACC squads are predicted to join Syracuse football in 2022 bowl games.
Cincinnati, which is a member of the American Athletic Conference but will be moving to the Big 12 Conference in the future, would prove a fun but daunting foe for the Orange.
But first, the ‘Cuse needs to attain six victories in the 2022 regular stanza to qualify for a post-season bowl berth. That won’t prove easy, as Syracuse football possesses a tough 2022 schedule.
The Orange recently held its spring game at the Carrier Dome, and I for one believe that ‘Cuse fans should feel some sort of optimism heading into the 2022 campaign, following just one win in 2020 and a 5-7 mark in 2021.
Of course, Syracuse football star running back Sean Tucker is back. Quarterback depth appears to be solid. The Orange secondary should be stellar. The team has several new assistant coaches and a pretty darn good 2022 recruiting class.
Like I said earlier, though, the 2022 slate is challenging. There are a few question marks, such as on the offensive line, within the wide-receivers unit, and across the board as it relates to depth on the present ‘Cuse roster.
I’d love to see Syracuse football reach a bowl game in 2022. I think it can happen. In the Atlantic Coast Conference, by the way, Crawford’s forecast includes a bunch of other conference teams getting to post-season play.
He has Clemson in the Orange Bowl, Miami in the Cotton Bowl, Wake Forest in the Tampa Bay Bowl, Pittsburgh in the Gator Bowl, N.C. State in the Cheez-It Bowl, Florida State in the Pinstripe Bowl, North Carolina in the Holiday Bowl, Virginia Tech in the Sun Bowl, Louisville in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, Virginia in the Gasparilla Bowl, and Boston College in the Military Bowl.