Earlier today, it was revealed that Syracuse was ranked 12th out of 17 ACC squads by 170 media voters. To no one’s surprise, Florida State topped the list with 81 first-place votes. Clemson followed in a close second, with 55 first-place votes. It’s not those squads though that the SU faithful are upset about being ranked lower than. It’s teams like California, Georgia Tech, and even a squad like Boston College who while ranked lower than Syracuse, did get a first-place vote. So what do these teams have that SU is lacking? Let’s jump into all of that and more.
#9 Georgia Tech (1 first-place vote)
The Yellow Jackets finished 7-6 last season, finishing 4th overall in the ACC. It’s hard to fathom that a squad with an overall recruiting rank outside of the top 50 is ahead of SU. Georgia Tech did not have one transfer ranked above a three-star in their 2024 class. Even though the Yellow Jackets took down the Orange 31-22 in Atlanta this past season, Syracuse has a significantly better roster on paper heading into 2024.
#10 California (2 first-place votes)
The Golden Bears are one of three new teams in the ACC heading into the 2024 season. Cal finished 6-7 in 2023, placing 8th out of 12 teams in the final year of the Pac-12. The Golden Bears did bring in some new recruits to help their weak offense from a season ago. Cal brought in a new man under center, Chandler Rogers out of North Texas. Rodgers threw for 3,300 yards with 33 touchdowns last season. The Golden Eagles also picked up former Alabama signee Karadius Callaway along with Rodgers. Even with all of these new additions to the offense, it’s hard to fathom Cal above Syracuse with the Golden Bears never playing a minute of ACC ball.
#14 Boston College (1 first-place vote)
For the Eagles to be anywhere near the Orange is absurd. BC went 3-5 in conference play last season, and while one of those dubs came against the Orange, they still finished 10th in the conference. It’s not as if BC is having a major overhaul from the portal either, as they have the 73rd-ranked recruiting class for this year. The fact that Boston College has a vote for first shows the inaccuracy of these rankings, and how Syracuse fans should take them to heart.
Why is Syracuse ranked 12th?
This is a question that will bounce around in a lot of fans’ heads for a while. Pre-season rankings are meaningless. If anything, SU being ranked at 12th gives head coach Fran Brown some noise to gas up his squad with the season opener just 30 days away.
