The 2022 ACC Preseason Football media poll is out, and Syracuse is not in a good spot.
The Orange received 201 points from media, the fewest of any team. Even Duke, yes, Duke, got more recognition. This is all preseason speculation of course, but it paints a very consistent picture of the national media’s view of Syracuse football.
Last year, Syracuse was picked dead last in the ACC Atlantic. Clemson was picked to finish first… That didn’t go so well. Wake Forest’s high powered offense led the Demon Deacons to the Atlantic crown, and Clemson sputtered right and left. The Orange, meanwhile, stayed out of the cellar, finishing 5-7 and staying afloat with a head-to-head tiebreak over BC.
In 2020, SU was picked 14th out of 15 teams in a division-less Atlantic Coast Conference, and somehow did worse. The Orange only won one ACC game, going 1-10 on the year. The only team picked underneath Dino Babers’ crew w, as Georgia Tech, and Syracuse defeated the Ramblin’ Wreck 37-20.
A year prior, Syracuse was second in the preseason media predictions. After a 10-win season with a bowl victory as the cherry on top, everyone hopped on the wave that was SU football. Tommy DeVito and an awful O-line quickly flipped that script.
We at the Fizz say all that to say this… This year, in a wide open ACC, with no traditional powerhouses, Dabo Sweeney’s effectiveness in question, a resurgent Miami and so many other storylines, the media’s guess is as good as anyone’s.
