Since joining the ACC in 2013, Syracuse has seemed to have a rough go-of-it. The Orange are just 14-23 overall and just 7-17 in ACC play, but hope may on the horizon.
That hopes come in the form of new head coach Dino Babers, who comes to Syracuse from Bowling Green. Babers, who was a Power 5 assistant from 1995-2011, is known as an excellent offensive mind. He compiled an 18-9 record in two seasons at Bowling Green, capped last season with a MAC title.
“It’s hard to guess on expectations with a new coaching staff in place and completely new systems, but assuming there’s no divisional shake-up, a lot of Syracuse fans think that Dino Babers is the guy to get the Orange firmly on, or at least right beneath, where Louisville is in the division right now,” said Jeff Kelly, the owner and operator of Otto’s Grove, a Syracuse blog. “Unfortunately there’s been so much coaching turnover the last couple of years that it’s been difficult to get any consistent kind of flow, and quarterback injuries haven’t helped. But at the very least, Syracuse fans expect to be above Boston College and Wake (Forest), and right in that same echelon as Louisville and Pitt(sburgh).”
In the last two seasons, the Orange have started six different quarterbacks and a new one in each of the three years they’ve faced Florida State. FSU was won by double-digits in each of the three ACC match-ups, including 45-21 last year in Tallahassee. Florida State will visit the Carrier Dome to conclude ACC play on Nov. 19. FSU won 38-20 in its last visit in October 2014.
“The Carrier Dome can certainly be a big home field advantage,” Kelly said. “The issue is whether or not the crowd will be good enough to take advantage of the acoustics that cause the place to be nicknamed ‘The Loud House’. It gets insanely loud in there when the team is playing well. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been often of late, and unless the place is full, it’s probably not going to play a big role. Personally, I don’t think (Syracuse) has a chance to pull off an upset over FSU this year. Louisville, however…”
If last season is any indication, a bowl appearance may not be that far off for the Orange. Despite going just 4-8, the Orange lost by just 10 at home to LSU and ACC champion Clemson. Pittsburgh, an 8-5 team, also needed a field goal in the waning seconds to escape with a 23-20 victory.
“Heart has never been an issue, that’s for sure,” Kelly said. “Talent and, again, coaching, has been the question. Is Dino the guy to get Syracuse over the hump? He certainly could be. At the end of the day, though, there simply wasn’t enough talent to get the job done. The one thing that has SU fans cautiously optimistic that Dino Babers is the guy is that he’s got a proven system, and has been successful at each of his — admittedly brief — head coaching stops.”
Just making a bowl game in his first year however, could be a tall task for Babers. In addition to playing three ranked teams from the Atlantic division in FSU, Clemson and Louisville, the Orange will also play Notre Dame on a neutral field and visit a Pittsburgh team that could contend for the ACC’s Coastal division.
“It’s tough to climb out of a big hole and get the national perception back up to par when you saddle yourself with what’s generally considered one of the 10 hardest schedules in America,” Kelly said. “But really, I don’t doubt that Dino will have the team putting up solid offensive numbers as they grow more comfortable. With an incredibly young and inexperienced defense that’s also implementing a new system and switching to the Tampa 2 this year, the only way (Syracuse) should hope to get back to a bowl game is by putting points on the board.”
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