Syracuse Football: Orange has a strong move in national power rankings

After escaping the JMA Wireless Dome on Friday night with a two-point win over fellow Atlantic Coast Conference squad Virginia, Syracuse football sits at 4-0.

The Orange, which will host FCS team Wagner (0-3) this coming Saturday beginning at 5 pm, is now getting more and more attention in college football’s national conversation.

As we noted in a column on Monday, Syracuse football sits at No. 25 in the latest Coaches top-25 poll, marking the first time that the ‘Cuse is nationally ranked dating back to 2019.

With the Orange just two victories shy of bowl eligibility in the 2022 campaign, national pundits are providing a variety of projections as to where Syracuse football could land during bowl season.

And the ‘Cuse continues to push its way up in power rankings from national media outlets while maintaining solid footing in Atlantic Coast Conference ratings at this point in the present term.

Syracuse football is garnering more respect from some national media members.

So the Orange is No. 25 in the Coaches poll and is the de facto No. 30 group in the most recent Associated Press top-25 poll after picking up 22 votes there.

CBS Sports, following the team’s 22-20 conquest of Virginia on the Hill, has Syracuse football at No. 28 around the country in its latest national power rankings, an improvement of eight spots from last week at this time.

ESPN and ACC Network analyst Eric Mac Lain, via Twitter, places the Orange at No. 6 within his conference power ratings, behind Clemson, N.C. State, Florida State, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest.

Mac Lain actually moved the Demon Deacons ahead of the ‘Cuse, after Wake Forest this past Saturday gave a huge scare to Clemson.

The Demon Deacons, at home, fell in two overtimes to the Tigers, a squad that is ranked No. 5 this week in both major polls. This coming weekend, Clemson will host No. 10 N.C. State, with ESPN’s College GameDay scheduled to be in attendance during a league encounter with massive implications for the ACC standings.

In his weekly press conference with media members on Monday, Syracuse football head coach Dino Babers described the team’s No. 25 ranking in the Coaches poll as “unexpected,” according to an article from Emily Leiker of Syracuse.com.

Now that the Orange is a nationally ranked squad, it won’t be surprising any future foes that might have been underestimating the ‘Cuse roster, Babers said.

"The Syracuse football boss added, “When I was growing up, it was only a top 20. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited about the top 25, but the top 20 … Now you’ve got me going.”"

Well, if the Orange keeps on winning, given its brutal upcoming slate of games after facing Wagner and having a bye week, the ‘Cuse will undeniably reside inside the top 20 of the major polls.