It’s not a stretch to say that the Syracuse Orange should be waking up today as a bowl-eligible squad. Instead, Fran Brown’s team is 4-5, 2-5 in ACC play, and needs to win two straight road games to get to the six-win threshold.
Yes we know a 5-7 team could get in, and in today’s landscape, that could happen. Still, we can’t assume that the Orange would get an invitation with that record, or that it would be seen as a successful season by fans.
So, let’s put that aside and focus on the current reality.
Yesterday, the Orange gave away their second home game of the season. This one had it all- a missed field goal, player breakdowns at the wrong time, poor red zone execution and killer turnovers.
The defense didn’t play great, but they held Clemson without a touchdown and it still wasn’t enough. After we saw the offense take steps forward the last two weeks, yesterday they stepped back right into the path of a falling boulder.
We all know Steve Angeli played his two worst Syracuse games in the losses to Cal and Clemson. He made mistakes you don’t expect from an experienced QB and as crucial as he was to the last two wins, he was as responsible for this loss as much as any of the Orange.
But all is not lost just yet. Next week, Syracuse heads to Raleigh to play a NC State team that is led by an interim coach and likely has a roster of players with eyes on the transfer portal. Winning on the road is never easy, but no one should be putting this one in the loss column just yet.
Could this Orange team find their resolve once again and claw back to .500, a trip to Boston College would be next….but no one should get ahead of themselves (including putting Notre Dame in the auto loss category). We know nothing in college football makes sense these days.
It didn’t have to come to this for Syracuse and the fans. The path to 6 wins was there- it was open and the Orange decided that they’d take the road more familiar to this program this century. Who needs a smooth, flat trail when you can veer off and take that unmarked, hilly route full of hidden obstacles.
Can Syracuse escape from the mess they’ve made? Not if they show up and play like they did yesterday, but as we learned just a couple of weeks ago, maybe we shouldn’t count this team out just yet.
