A couple of weeks have passed since Syracuse defeated Washington State in the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, securing its 10th win of the season under first-year head coach Fran Brown. The program and fans have had some time to reflect on what type of season it was in Syracuse.
SU’s 10 wins mark the third time the Orange have reached that milestone since 2000, and the first since 2018.
The interesting thing is that Syracuse could’ve had an extra win or two if a play or two had turned out differently at the end of games, but that could be said for many other squads. That’s how good this team was this season, and they certainly deserved to be ranked at the end of the year.
Two games that stand out as pivotal in derailing Syracuse’s College Football Playoff hopes were the Stanford and Boston College matchups. There was a devastating defensive letdown for the Orange after almost sealing the deal against Stanford on a 4th-and-9 play. That allowed wide receiver Elic Ayomanor to set the Cardinal up in field-goal range, and they took full advantage, upsetting Syracuse in the Dome.
In the Boston College game, it seemed like Syracuse let up in the second half to some extent and couldn’t overcome that to win the game.
The only real defeat for Syracuse this season came at the hands of Pitt on the road, when the Panthers demolished the Orange 41-13. However, looking back, SU may wish it had played Pitt at a later point in the season. The Panthers went on to lose their next six games, including a bowl game loss to Toledo in overtime.
Overall, everyone should be excited about this 10-win season for the Orange and have high hopes for the offseason and next year. However, the question still remains: Who will be playing quarterback next season? The position, of course, was critical to the team’s success this past year, thanks to Kyle McCord.
