Syracuse Football Schedule: Any Chance of a Bowl?

          Happily, it is almost football season.  For me, as an alum of Syracuse University, that means it is a great time to read up on schools that will actually be good.  Let's face it: we stink.  Since I arrived on campus as a freshman in 2004, we were a perennial bowl team that produced such highly-touted prospects as Donovan McNabb and Dwight Freeney.  Once I arrived, as is the case with teams I like, it all went south.  Paul Pasqualoni was fired after a 6-6 season and a bowl loss to Calvin Johnson's Georgia Tech Yellowjackets.  In came new coach Greg Robinson, and the single worst 4 year stretch in the history of the program.  The team went a combined 10-37 under GRob, and he was justifiably fired.  Then, former Syracuse lineman Doug Marrone came home to coach and brought the school back from futility to mediocrity.  We won the Pinstripe Bowl twice, each season winning 8 games.  Then, just as we transitioned to the ACC, Marrone left for the Buffalo Bills, and Scott Shafer was thrust into the spotlight.  We won the Texas Bowl, but followed it up with only 3 wins last season.  So, as the 2015 season approaches, how high should the hopes of Orangemen and Orangewomen everywhere?  Pretty low.

          Yes, Cuse probably won't be that good this year.  It may not even be the fault of the players, to be honest.  Nor the coaches.  It is the fault of the schedule makers.  The first three games of the year are winnable, true.  Hosting Rhode Island, Wake Forest, and Central Michigan could mean this team gets out to a 3-0 record.  If they are impressive in doing it, and have some help with other teams losing, they could even get some Top 25 votes.  But then everything goes to hell, thanks to our insane desire to schedule difficult teams and gain viewers.  In the past, we have had out-of-conference games with Notre Dame, Penn State, Purdue, Northwestern, and even USC.  Who did we pick to start a home and home with this season?  The LSU Tigers.  Yes, a SEC blueblood program is coming to the Dome to destroy us.  I don't know why we insist on scheduling these teams.  The school recently announced that they have a future series with perennial Top 15 team Wisconsin set.  WHY?  Surely, there are other dismal Power 5 conference teams like us that need to play another mediocre big conference schools to help bowl chances.  Syracuse football is no longer prestigious enough to schedule major programs.  Indiana, Iowa State, Wazzu, Kentucky- These are the teams we need to start scheduling.  So, it is safe to assume that the team, at best, will be 3-1 after the Tigers come to town.

          After LSU, the team will travel down to USF.  This is one of our tossup games.  USF isn't that much better than Syracuse.  I could see the Orange winning, but could also see USF defending their home turf well.  Conference play begins with two more tossup games, at UVA and hosting Pitt.  The ACC is a fairly good conference this year, so expecting to win these games may be a bit optimistic.  The next three, as is to be expected, are not winnable by normal Syracuse expectations-  At #10 Florida State, at Louisville, vs #12 Clemson.  These are the best teams in this conference.  Barring a massive upset, these are losses.  So, between them and LSU, the Orange begin their season with 4 losses.  The season ends at NC State and hosting those pesky BC Eagles, both of which should be better than Syracuse, but are not guaranteed losses.

          So, that is 3 expected wins, 4 guaranteed losses, and 5 tossup games.  The Orange have to be able to beat 3 of the tossup teams (USF, UVA, Pitt, NC State, and BC) if they want a bowl birth.  This with a team that has lost numerous pieces on defense, is installing a new offense, and has a starting QB coming off of an injury-plagued year.  Call me a pessimist, but I could see my alma mater lose its last 9 games, or even lose to Wake Forest.  Remember, this team barely beat Villanova last year, and they play in the FCS.  So, as much as I would love to see 6 wins and see my school playing in a bowl game this holiday season, I don't think it is going to happen.

          If it does, feel free to remind me of this post.  I'll be thrilled to be wrong.  Go Orange!