Syracuse Football: Orange plummets in ACC and national power rankings

After starting out the 2022 season at a stellar 6-0, Syracuse football has now dropped three straight games, and the Orange is seeing its stock dive in Atlantic Coast Conference and national power rankings.

The ‘Cuse (6-3, 3-2), which fell at long-time rival Pittsburgh last Saturday by a final count of 19-9, needs to shore up its offense, both through the air and on the ground.

Next up for the Orange is a home date with nationally ranked Florida State, which has won two contests in a row and is looking like one of the better squads in the ACC these days.

As we’re discussing in other columns this week, FSU (6-3, 4-3) has an excellent rushing attack, and that doesn’t bode well as Syracuse football prepares to host the Seminoles this Saturday night on senior day for the Orange.

Syracuse football has fallen out of the major top-25 polls.

This past Sunday, the ‘Cuse was booted out of the Associated Press and Coaches polls. Previously, Syracuse football checked in at No. 22 in each poll.

On Tuesday, the Orange also was taken out of the latest College Football Playoff rankings after residing at No. 20 a week ago.

Florida State, meanwhile, made it into the most recent AP poll at No. 25, and the Seminoles check in at No. 23 in the CFP ratings.

In new national power rankings this week from CBS Sports, FSU climbed from No. 30 to No. 23.

Syracuse football, conversely, experienced one of the biggest drops in the latest ratings from CBS Sports, which moved the Orange from No. 22 to No. 34.

"Chip Patterson of CBS Sports had this to say about the ‘Cuse: “An unbeaten start had the Orange soaring to a high position in the CBS Sports 131, but as the losses have stacked up, there have been weekly drops. Losing to Clemson didn’t knock Syracuse too bad, but combined with a lopsided defeat to Notre Dame and now Saturday’s loss at Pitt, this team has fallen outside the top 30.”"

Moving to new ACC power rankings that got disclosed this week by 247Sports, Florida State improved by two spots, from No. 6 to No. 4. Syracuse football, though, fell from No. 5 all the way down to No. 9. Yikes.

I don’t want to be entirely pessimistic here, because the Orange has already clinched bowl eligibility and has an opportunity to get on a roll and close out the 2022 regular season on a positive note.

Besides its upcoming ACC clash with FSU on the Hill, Syracuse football will also head to both Wake Forest and Boston College.

If the Orange could manage a 2-1 end to the regular stanza and grab a bowl-game victory, the ‘Cuse would finish up 2022 at 9-4.

Considering how much Syracuse football has struggled in recent years, attaining nine triumphs this fall would absolutely amount to a successful season for the Orange, in my humble opinion.