At multiple points throughout the season, SU has just been on the edge of the rankings. And as the Orange prepare for its final non-conference clash of the season against the Huskies of UConn, they find themselves in a similar position with two games to play.
SU enters today’s matchup ranked 29th in the nation based on votes received in the AP Poll. Four spots is a lot to jump in one week, but Syracuse has a unique opportunity against a non-power conference team this week.
The Orange have the much more dominant offense going into this game, namely because of QB Kyle McCord. The senior could set the single-season passing yards and touchdown records today after another good performance last week against Cal. And that could lead to a dominant Orange victory. SU enters today as a double-digit favorite, and at the minimum that’s needed for SU to get ranked.
But more importantly, you have to look at the team’s SU could jump. Memphis, who is two spots ahead of SU, is a double-digit dog. The problem? Every other team ahead of Syracuse up to #21 Arizona State is a favorite. Could there be 1 or 2 upsets? Yeah. But Syracuse needs at least four upsets realistically, which is hard to see.
Sure, a Top 25 clash in the afternoon window for Syracuse-Miami on the Saturday after Thanksgiving would do incredibly for television rankings. But, it’s just hard to see a scenario where enough teams ahead of the ‘Cuse lose convincingly enough to drop them below SU.
