It doesn’t seem like anyone in Central New York, or in the college football landscape for that matter, is satisfied with how Dino Babers has handled the last two weeks.
However, others see him as an embattled figure, handling what is one of the toughest coaching gigs in college football. The Athletic ranked the toughest CFB jobs in the sport today. SU didn’t make the list, but received votes.
“All those Northeast schools I just feel like don’t have as much talent. The weather’s bad. People don’t really give a s**t. What’s the goal up there? At least all of the SEC schools care.” — Anonymous Agent
These questions can all be answered. There isn’t a ton of talent in New York, but Babers has gone to other areas of the country, mainly Florida, to fill those gaps.
Do people care about the team? Yes, but not really. There are the die-hards, but there’s a large part of the community that uses the football team as a bridge to basketball season. “Just wait for hoops” is usually a familiar refrain, unless the team has promise, which Babers has brought after taking down Clemson.
What’s the goal? It’s to make bowl games. The Dome lists every single postseason contest the football team has made, and the walls are nowhere close to full. Syracuse is not expected to compete for the ACC, but six wins should not be impossible with a floundering Atlantic division.
Is Dino Babers’ job secure? Not even close. Should he be able to get six wins out of this season? Orange fans would hope so.
