Okay, Syracuse football fans. Your Orange program is now a nationally ranked squad, after the latest iterations of the two major top-25 polls were released on Sunday.
Syracuse football is No. 25 in the Coaches poll, while in the Associated Press poll, the Orange is the No. 30 de facto team, garnering 22 votes that place the ‘Cuse in the No. 5 spot in the other receiving votes category of this ballot.
First of all, a huge shout-out to the Syracuse football players, head coach Dino Babers and his assistants, the rest of the Orange’s staff and the ‘Cuse fan base.
Secondly, can Syracuse football please keep winning and remain in the national rankings for the remainder of the 2022 season? Much appreciated.
Your Syracuse football team is in the top 25 of the Coaches poll this week.
So. A top-25 ranking is a terrific achievement for a ‘Cuse squad that has seen its shares of struggles in recent seasons under Babers. But after getting by Virginia this past Friday night, the Orange’s second nail-biting triumph in a row, Syracuse football sits at 4-0.
That victory versus UVA (2-2), coupled with several top-25 teams losing over the weekend, was enough to propel the Orange into the Coaches poll (or any poll) for the first time since 2019.
The ‘Cuse is also 4-0 to start a campaign for the inaugural occasion dating back to the 2018 term, when Syracuse football went 10-3 overall and finished ranked No. 15 in both major polls.
Next up for the Orange is a home non-conference clash this Saturday against FCS team Wagner (0-3), with the kick-off slated to commence at 5 pm.
I don’t want to get too ahead of myself, but I’m confident that Syracuse football will prevail this coming weekend and move to 5-0 so far in 2022.
Certainly, with a grueling stretch of games lurking off in the not-too-distant future, there’s no guarantee that the Orange will stay in the Coaches poll indefinitely, or enter the AP poll.
For now, though, being a nationally rated group is huge for a variety of reasons.
Number one, it builds up a ton of buzz among the fan base, and hopefully, more casual fans will hop on the Syracuse football train and ride out this season by going to games at the JMA Wireless Dome.
Additionally, this top-25 ranking should provide more chatter about the Orange among national and Atlantic Coast Conference journalists, analysts, pundits and the like.
Oh, and can we please stop with the nonsense talk about Babers being on the hot seat? Unless the ‘Cuse is stunned by Wagner and completely falls apart for the rest of the 2022 season, Babers isn’t going anywhere for the time being.
Assuming Syracuse football does get by Wagner, the Orange will be 5-0 heading into a bye week, and it should be ranked in the Coaches poll and, hopefully, the AP poll.
At that point, the ‘Cuse will need just one more conquest to gain bowl eligibility, although we’re all hoping for greater things than merely making a bowl game, right?
Last but not least, for Syracuse football, residing in a top-25 poll and being more in the national conversation has to be good for recruiting. Orange targets in various classes have been in attendance at a couple of ‘Cuse home games (and wins) to date in 2022.
For Syracuse football recruiting targets to see the Orange faring well and getting national rankings, I would imagine, can only help with the team’s recruiting efforts.
This should be a fun week. Syracuse football is undefeated, nationally ranked and will play its homecoming game this weekend. Let’s enjoy the ride, ‘Cuse Nation.