3. Syracuse Orange
2019 Preseason Ranking
AP 22, Coaches 22
Final Record: 5-7
What Went Wrong?
63-20.
The Orange couldn’t generate the same magic of the 10-3 2018 season thanks to a defense that went bye-bye too often – like in the 63-20 loss in Week Two against a miserable Maryland team – and without any ability to come through in key moments.
The run defense was bad, the offensive line worse, and there wasn’t a penalty that the team didn’t try to commit.
Give head coach Dino Babers and the team credit for not quitting on the year, though, after a 3-6 start. It won two of the last three games, showed off an improved offense late in the year, and for all the problems on D, it was great at taking the ball away.
Even with the positives, if was the fifth losing season in the last six years.
Why 2020 Will Be Better: Returning Talent
Losing the terrific NFL defensive end combination of Kendall Coleman and Alton Robinson isn’t fun, but there are just enough young parts returning from last year’s defense to not be any worse than it was in a bad 2019.
The offensive side needs to be the difference, and it has to start with a bigger year from QB Tommy DeVito. The passing game has to be better, the receivers have to do more, and DeVito can’t be used as a tackling dummy again. The line has to be better, but it has a whole lot of options to play around with.
Why 2020 Will Be Better: Schedule
– 2020 Syracuse Football Schedule Analysis
Win at Boston College to start the season, survive what should be a shootout against Louisville, and it’ll be a 6-0 start before going to Clemson. Even if there are some rocky parts early, the second half is manageable with three home games in the final five, and the road dates at Wake Forest and Pitt.
Missing four of the five teams from the Coastal that went bowling last year – Miami, North Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech – is a plus, but more than that, is the team can keep improving as the season goes on, it should be a second winning season in three years.