If there was any doubt about how successful head coach Fran Brown was in his first season with Syracuse, the Orange came in at No. 20 in the final AP poll, the first time it has been ranked in the final rankings since 2018.
It’s just the third time Syracuse has been on the last AP poll since 2000, as the Orange won 10 games for the first time in six seasons. Syracuse earned four wins over ranked opponents, the most notable being its historic upset of No. 8 Miami after falling in an early 21-0 hole.
The Orange were one of four teams in the ACC that finished in the final edition of the rankings, coming in two spots behind the Hurricanes. They missed out on the final spot in the College Football Playoff after it lost to Syracuse.
As a reward for its strong regular season, the Orange earned a berth in the DIRECTV Holiday Bowl, where they hung 52 points on a depleted Washington State team that couldn’t keep pace with Syracuse’s offense. The win was the team’s first bowl game triumph since 2018 and snapped a two-game losing streak in bowl games after it lost its last two under former head coach Dino Babers.
Individually, not only was it a successful season for Fran Brown, but it was also a historic one. Brown became the first rookie Syracuse football coach to finish a season in the final edition of the poll since Paul Pasqualoni in 1991, and the two are the only coaches in the school’s history to accomplish that feat.
Moving forward, however, Brown has his work cut out for him to replicate that success. His toughest task will be replacing quarterback Kyle McCord, who led the nation in passing yards and shouldered a heavy burden in Syracuse’s offense. McCord officially declared for the NFL draft on Jan. 10.
Brown will also have to deal with the loss of running back LeQuint Allen and tight end Oronde Gadsden, who declared for the NFL draft along with McCord. Allen led the ACC with 16 rushing touchdowns en route to his second straight season with 1,000 rushing yards, while Gadsden bounced back from an injury-shortened season last year with 934 receiving yards and a career-high seven touchdowns.
It won’t be easy for Brown to replace that production, but after the rookie head coach exceeded expectations in his first season, it’s hard to imagine he’s not up to the task.
