Let's take a look at Syracuse football.
Best / Worst Case Record for :
Louisville | Virginia | Miami | Duke | Georgia Tech | Boston College | Pittsburgh |Florida State | Virginia Tech | NC State | Clemson | North Carolina | Wake Forest
Syracuse
Syracuse’s magical 2018 top 15 10-3 season is starting to seem like a lifetime ago. In the three years since Syracuse has won 11 games and won just 5 ACC games. Now into year seven of his tenure, Dino Babers is starting to feel some heat. The ACC Atlantic is quietly one of the best divisions in college football, and Syracuse has fallen way behind. We just aren’t talking about falling behind Clemson either. The good news for Babers is he returns the ACC’s best RB in Sean Tucker. That’s a good piece to build around.
Will Go 7-5 (4-4) if:
Syracuse can get off to a fast start. The early part of the schedule is manageable. Syracuse opens the season with Louisville, at Connecticut, Purdue, Virginia, and Wagner. If QB Garrett Shrader and the passing game improve, Syracuse could find itself 4-1 or 5-0 with NC State coming to Syracuse. The defense should be pretty good, and with Sean Tucker, Syracuse may be able to ball control and defense themselves to a good start. Then try to steal one in the stretch of NC State, at Clemson, Notre Dame, and at Pittsburgh and split the season enders at Wake Forest and Boston College. Do that and Syracuse could find itself bowling. Dino Babers is still a pretty good coach, but starting the season quickly is a must.
Will Go 3-9 (1-7) if:
QB Garrett Shrader struggles. Sean Tucker is great, but if Syracuse is too one-dimensional it will catch up with them. They get Louisville, Purdue, and Virginia at home early, but all three could be losses. Then they could be underdogs in every game after those. The OL and DL weren’t especially good last year, and in the trenches, Syracuse could lose a lot battles. When you lose in the trenches you are going to lose a lot of games. Other than Connecticut and Wagner, Syracuse can’t assume another win on their schedule. A losing season might signal the end of the Dino Babers era.
