Syracuse football, deservingly, remains a top-20 team despite first setback

Syracuse football only dropped two spots in the latest Associated Press and Coaches top-25 polls that were disclosed on Sunday afternoon.

The Orange (6-1) checks in at No. 16 in each poll, and I’m glad to see that voters didn’t drop the ‘Cuse too much. Let’s remember, as much as Saturday afternoon’s loss to No. 5 Clemson stung, Syracuse football hung tough with a serious College Football Playoff contender on its own turf.

In Death Valley, amid homecoming for Clemson, the Orange had the Tigers (8-0) on the ropes for a large portion of this Atlantic Coast Conference showdown.

However, much like a few years back when the ‘Cuse battled Clemson on the road, the Tigers did enough in the fourth quarter to come away with a victory.

On Saturday, Clemson prevailed over the Orange, 27-21, after the Tigers outscored the ‘Cuse, 17-0, in the game’s final 15 minutes.

Syracuse football remains a top-20 squad across the country.

This week, there are five ACC teams in the AP and Coaches polls. Clemson, for one, stayed put at No. 5. The Orange, as we already mentioned, is No. 16.

Wake Forest is in a tie for No. 10 with Southern California in the AP poll, while the Demon Deacons are No. 10 outright in the Coaches poll.

Later on in the 2022 stanza, Syracuse football with travel to Winston-Salem, N.C., for a collision with Wake Forest on the road.

North Carolina, which is coming on strong lately, is No. 21 in both polls. N.C. State, a group that fell to the ‘Cuse on the Hill not too long ago, is No. 24 in the AP poll and No. 23 in the Coaches poll.

Florida State also received one vote in the AP poll. Next month, the Seminoles will head to Central New York for an ACC contest versus the Orange.

Separately, in ESPN’s latest national power rankings, Syracuse football is rated No. 19 overall.

I know that the ‘Cuse could have likely vaulted into the top 10 if it could have beaten Clemson, and that’s a hard pill to swallow for myself and every other Orange fanatic out there.

But in losing to the Tigers by only six points – a squad that has the nation’s longest winning streak and hasn’t fallen at home since 2016 – I believe that Syracuse football has earned a ton more respect from pundits on a national scale.