ESPN's power index gives Syracuse football an 80 percent chance to make a bowl game

This week, Syracuse football cracked the top 60 nationally in ESPN's Football Power Index ("FPI").

For those of you who may not be familiar with this tool, per ESPN's Web site, the FPI "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. FPI represents how many points above or below average a team is. Projected results are based on 20,000 simulations of the rest of the season using FPI, results to date, and the remaining schedule. Ratings and projections update daily."

The Orange (4-1) knocked off then-top 25 UNLV in Las Vegas last Friday evening. In week seven, the 'Cuse will travel to N.C. State this coming Saturday night.

With seven regular-season games left in the 2024 campaign, first-year head coach Fran Brown and his program need two more victories to qualify for the post-season for the third consecutive term.

Earlier this week, multiple national pundits included Syracuse football in their latest bowl-game prognostications, and the FPI currently gives the Orange a 79.5 percent chance to attain at least a half-dozen triumphs in the 2024 season.

At this juncture, the FPI forecasts the 'Cuse with 6.6 wins against 5.4 losses in the 12-game regular season. I'm a total homer, but I think that the Orange is poised to grab more victories than the FPI is predicting.

More data on Syracuse football from ESPN's power index.

The FPI says that the 'Cuse has a 0.2 percent chance to capture the 2024 Atlantic Coast Conference title and a 0.6 percent shot to land a bid to the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff.

Nationally, Syracuse football resides at No. 60 overall in the FPI. In the ACC, the Orange sits at No. 10. The 'Cuse trails, in order, Miami, Clemson, Louisville, SMU, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, California, Georgia Tech and Boston College. How Louisville (3-2) and Virginia Tech (3-3) are ahead of Pittsburgh (5-0) in the FPI is something I'd love to better understand.

Currently, the Orange's national strength of record is No. 41, the team's strength of schedule is No. 100, and the squad's remaining strength of schedule is No. 41.

Syracuse football's overall efficiency checks in at No. 74. Unsurprisingly, the team's offensive efficiency is excellent, at No. 23 around the country. Its defensive efficiency is No. 99. In another unsurprising metric, the Orange's special teams unit, which has struggled in 2024, is No. 133 and the second-worst nationwide among Football Bowl Subdivision ("FBS") groups.

What does all of this mean? Well, the 'Cuse offense continues to roll. The Orange is averaging 35.80 points per game, which is No. 6 in the ACC and tied for No. 27 nationally. Syracuse football has had its share of ups and downs on defense to date in the 2024 campaign, although the 'Cuse for one made several huge defensive stops last Friday to ultimately upset UNLV on the road.

Special teams need a lot of work. Whether it's the kicking game or the punting unit, this is definitely a weak spot for the Orange. Brown has been transparent about this. Let's see how special teams fare against the Wolfpack this Saturday.

As my fellow fans always intimate to me, let's take things one game at a time. I agree. But looking at the larger context of the 2024 season, I'd be a bit shocked if Syracuse football doesn't go bowling yet again later this year.