With how back the basketball has been, were lucky that the football news cycle seems to never have an off-season. As the combine gets underway and we start to end talking about last season, it’s time to look ahead to next year.
FanDuel released its preseason win totals for the ACC and after winning 10 games last year, Syracuse is at 5.5. This seems to be pretty low considering the momentum that Fran Brown has brought to Central New York. The team ended its season with a win over a top-10 team and won a top-tier bowl game.
Yes, the Orange lost a lot from last year’s team. The obvious one is Kyle McCord. It will be hard to replace one of the best quarterbacks that the school has ever seen. The ‘Cuse brought in a highly rated transfer quarterback who learned under the Heisman winner and NFL Rookie of the Year. Rickie Collins is young and unproven but at some point, you need a quarterback for multiple years and he has all the tools to be the guy.
Another key though is building a better overall team around the quarterback. Fran Brown has consistently talked about how he knows the importance of the liens getting bigger. The team also brings back a lot and returns some key players who were out with injuries. Will Nixon and Zeed Haynes could be difference-makers on offense. Don’t underestimate Fran Brown’s recruiting too. The three stars that he’s brought in are almost all higher rated than any of Dino’s best recruits. Just look at what Maraad Watson, Davien Kerr, and Yasin Willis did. There are other high-rated freshmen from last year who didn’t play much that could burst onto the scene. Fran has given you every reason to believe.
Yes, the schedule is very very tough. But, this team played a quietly difficult schedule last year and delivered 10 wins. SU won three games against solid teams on the West Coast and beat two ranked teams in the Dome. Fran Brown says all the right things. He learned from one of the best coaches in football, Kirby Smart, who spent 11 years working for the GOAT Nick Saban.
The team is grinding out in the snow. They are in the weight room with all of the resources and the to compete. Syracuse has given you every reason to believe. If you ever do, the time is now. They should absolutely make a bowl game this year. 5.5 is way too low of a line. HAMMER the over.
