The Orange have done as well as anyone could expect through their first four games. They won their winnable games and hung in there against a national powerhouse, gaining national attention for their effort. Now, with over a week before their next game, Syracuse fans are left to wonder what the rest of the season will hold.
The Orange have another three winnable games coming up on their schedule: Away to USF, away to Virginia and home to Pitt. Yes, all of those games are winnable, but that doesn’t mean the Orange will win all of them. A great result from that three game stretch would be going 2-1, bringing their overall record to 5-2.
If they could do this, which given the way they have played the last couple of weeks is very possible. If they can indeed get to that five win mark through only seven games, giving them five games to get that coveted sixth win and make them eligible for a bowl game.
However, if they do not get to the five win mark after those three games, their bowl game ambitions are in serious jeopardy as their next three games feature three of the ACC’s best; Florida State, Louisville and Clemson. If they Orange drop those three games, they would then have to win their last two against NC State and Boston College to get the six win mark.
So, with all of that said, what would be a realistic expectation for the Orange for the rest of the year? Well, before the season I had the Orange starting out 3-1 and only grabbing one more win the rest of the year. However, after watching this team play and getting to see Eric Dungey emerge at quarterback and after watching the defense’s valiant effort against LSU, I will re-evaluate my picks.
I think that Orange fans should reasonably expect the Orange to get to that six win mark. If they play with the same heart and the chip on their shoulder that they played with on Saturday, there is no reason to think they can’t win three more games. Before the season, expecting six wins may have seemed like a stretch, but things have changed and the Orange are once again exciting to watch.
