If any of the doubters watched Syracuse battle tooth-and-nail at Clemson, they’d have to change their tune. (Here’s The Fizz’s reaction from yesterday’s game). For those who have assumed SU’s 6-0 start to the season was luck, mediocre competition and backup QBs, Saturday was a stamp of respect. While the Tigers might not be the powerhouse version that won national championships under Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence, this is still a terrific team. And for SU to push the Tigers to the brink (again) in Death Valley was proof the Orange are a very good team.
Syracuse is poised to drop in the AP Poll when the new rankings come out on Sunday. Chip Patterson at CBS Sports has already put out his projections with analysis. He put the Orange at #19, dropping 5 spots with the loss.
“AP voters were slow to give attention to Syracuse during its undefeated start, and that usually results in a quick knock down after a loss. Two things should help provide a floor for Syracuse from a rankings perspective, the first is how close the Orange came to pulling off the road upset in Death Valley and the second is the head-to-head win against NC State, which is in danger of getting jumped on some ballots but should still remain in the top 25 on Sunday.” – CBS Sports
The Orange played Clemson as well as any team has this season, and did it on the road. Had SU not committed a few silly penalties (or Clemson was hit with the same silly penalties) we might be talking about a top 10 Syracuse team. The Orange defense once again proved it can handle any situation, and any quarterback. DJ U was so inefficient against the SU defense, Dabo Swinney decided to make a change.
Either way, the Orange acquitted itself well on Saturday, and moving forward that type of performance suggests there’s more winning to be done by SU.
