The Atlantic Coast Conference has released its pre-season media poll ahead of the 2022 campaign, and it shouldn’t be much of a surprise to Orange fans that Syracuse football is picked to finish last in its division.
The ‘Cuse hasn’t had much success in recent years under head coach Dino Babers, save for one 10-victory stanza a few seasons ago.
While we recently noted that some national pundits are providing glimpses of optimism as it pertains to the Orange’s outlook in 2022, the team’s track record during Babers’ tenure on the Hill is sub-par.
What’s more, Syracuse football is projected to have one of the toughest schedules across the country this fall. As such, media members are predicting that the ‘Cuse will finish at No. 7 (i.e., the basement) in the Atlantic Division in 2022.
Let’s see where ACC foes of Syracuse football are forecast in the league’s pre-season media poll.
Here are the Orange’s eight conference clashes in 2022. I included these squads’ marks from a term ago, as well as where they are projected to finish within the ACC in the upcoming campaign, per the league’s pre-season media poll.
September 3 vs. Louisville (6-7 last year)
2022 Prediction: No. 4 in Atlantic Division
September 23 vs. Virginia (6-6 last year)
2022 Prediction: No. 4 in Coastal Division
October 15 vs. N.C. State (9-3 last year)
2022 Prediction: No. 2 in Atlantic Division
October 22 at Clemson (10-3 last year)
2022 Prediction: No. 1 in Atlantic Division
November 5 at Pittsburgh (11-3 last year)
2022 Prediction: No. 2 in Coastal Division
November 12 vs. Florida State (5-7 last year)
2022 Prediction: No. 5 in Atlantic Division
November 19 at Wake Forest (11-3 last year)
2022 Prediction: No. 3 in Atlantic Division
November 26 at Boston College (6-6 last year)
2022 Prediction: No. 6 in Atlantic Division
Clemson, by the way, is favored to win the ACC championship in 2022, according to the pre-season media poll. The Tigers, in recent years, have often journeyed to the College Football Playoff and have won several national titles.
That being said, Clemson was somewhat “down” a stanza ago, when the Tigers wrapped things up at 10-3 (hey, myself and every other Syracuse football fan out there would take a 10-3 record for the Orange in a heartbeat).
This is the last year that the ‘Cuse and its ACC peers will suit up in divisions, as the league announced not too long ago that it will scrap the Atlantic and Coastal divisions and implement a 3-5-5 scheduling structure beginning in 2023.
Under this new model, Syracuse football will play Boston College, Florida State and Pittsburgh every year, while the Orange will square off with the ACC’s other 10 teams twice each during four-year cycles, once at home and once on the road.