Syracuse Football: SU in top 20 nationally per ESPN’s football power index

Through week four, Syracuse football remains in the top 20 across the country, according to ESPN’s football power index (“FPI”).

The Orange, though, did fall four spots to No. 20 overall, per the FPI. This past Saturday afternoon, the ‘Cuse moved to 4-0 in the 2023 season after storming back in the second half to defeat fellow New York state team Army, 29-16, inside the JMA Wireless Dome.

The FPI, per the ESPN Web site, is “a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of a team’s performance going forward for the rest of the season.”

Interestingly enough, Clemson is at No. 17 nationwide in the FPI, despite the Tigers being 2-2 overall. Clemson will come to the Hill for an Atlantic Coast Conference showdown this Saturday afternoon.

ESPN’s FPI continues to be high on Syracuse football.

Within the ACC, according to the FPI, Florida State sits at No. 1, followed by Miami, Clemson, North Carolina and then the Orange at No. 5.

After the ‘Cuse hosts the Tigers, Syracuse football will hit the road to play both North Carolina and Florida State away from Central New York. If somehow, someway, the Orange can get at least one win over that brutal three-game stretch, that would prove huge as Syracuse football aims for a bowl-game appearance for the second year in a row.

At present, the FPI is projecting the ‘Cuse to amass a 9-3 record during the 2023 regular season, which would be welcomed by myself and all the other Syracuse football fanatics out there.

The FPI gives the Orange a 1.4 percent chance to win out, and a convincing 99.7 percent chance to secure at least a half-dozen victories in 2023, which is the benchmark for earning a bowl invite this term.

Here are a few other metrics, per the FPI. Syracuse football has a 7.4 percent chance to capture an ACC championship, a 3.0 percent chance to reach the College Football Playoff, a 0.9 percent chance to advance to the CFP title game, and a 0.2 percent chance to claim a national championship this season.

Currently, the Orange’s strength of record resides at No. 23 nationally. The team’s strength of schedule is No. 119, and SU’s remaining strength of schedule is No. 51.

Syracuse football, throughout the 2023 stanza so far, has proven one of the country’s most efficient teams on both sides of the field. The FPI rates the ‘Cuse with an overall efficiency of No. 15, an offensive efficiency of No. 18, a defensive efficiency of No. 14, and a special teams efficiency of No. 99.

In the non-conference, the Orange beat Colgate, Western Michigan and Army at home, as well as a so-so Purdue squad on the road. I acknowledge the schedule to date hasn’t been overly rough, so let’s see how the ‘Cuse fares in the coming weeks. The team’s FPI metrics are likely to fluctuate as the 2023 calendar intensifies.