2017 LSU Game

[OttoinGrotto]

Every single word of this thread can go straight to hell.

This is hands down the greatest opening statement I've ever seen to discuss anything, in any place.

 

[Eric15]

USC x 2, PSU x 2, ND x 2 (pre-ACC), Washington x 2 and lost handily to all.

Of those 8 teams, only two went to a BCS game (PSU in 2008 and ND in 2005). So we aren't talking a lot of elite teams.

In 2010, our non-conference schedule consisted of Akron, Colgate, Maine and Washington who went on to finish 7-6. If a .500 Washington club is beyond the capacity of Syracuse University football, I think we should just shut this thing down.

 

[Shrmdougluvr]

This year we have the 8th ranked schedule. In 2017, it could be ranked even higher.

At what cost would it be worth it for the University to buyout of the LSU matchup to help manage this schedule? $1M? $2M-$3M? What cost is worth it if it means you have a solid chance of winning 7-8 games in year 2 of Babers program versus 5-6 games? Is there a price that can be put on continued momentum?

Look, I get that adding the right opponents hasn't exactly been a strength of the athletic department the last several years. Not to mention we are still short of an opponent as it is. But next year we are staring down the barrel of Clemson, Pitt, at FSU, at Miami at Louisville and at LSU. I hope the new AD office looks at this possibility, if it is on the table.

 

[Chip]

Not sure if this applies to the 9/23/17 game date but I thought this was a well written article back in April - Syracuse Football: Nope, the 2017 Orange Non-Conference Schedule Still Isn't Done

I get that this is unlikely and less than ideal but the foolishness of TGD that led to this non-conference schedule is stunting the growth of this football program. They should look at any and all possibilities to fix the 2017 schedule.

It's my 44th birthday. We have to play that game. It's fate. We will win.

Can't wait for that road trip.

 

[Trueblue25]

We had a close game against LSU in the dome where it's arguable that LSU's asses were saved by Fournette and the fact that Dungey was out.

Imagine Junior Dungey, Ishmael and the rest of the Orange offense with a years experience in the offense and Fournette gone. LSU is not nearly a formidable opponent, in my opinion, as people pick them to be.

They are ripe for the picking.

I'd be much more worried about Bama or Georgia.

 

[upperdeck]

the LSU game changed a bunch on one QB sack that had a RB ending up behind a QB and take a lateral to the house.. great play by him running but just blind luck it worked out like it did.

 

[Frozen]

You don't buy me out. I buy you out.

 

[SUFaninNJ]

I have been looking forward to next year's LSU game since last year's LSU game. I can't wait to go down there.

 

[FAL]

the LSU game changed a bunch on one QB sack that had a RB ending up behind a QB and take a lateral to the house.. great play by him running but just blind luck it worked out like it did.

What a heartbreaker that was!

 

[orangeinjersey]

This year we have the 8th ranked schedule. In 2017, it could be ranked even higher.

At what cost would it be worth it for the University to buyout of the LSU matchup to help manage this schedule? $1M? $2M-$3M? What cost is worth it if it means you have a solid chance of winning 7-8 games in year 2 of Babers program versus 5-6 games? Is there a price that can be put on continued momentum?

Look, I get that adding the right opponents hasn't exactly been a strength of the athletic department the last several years. Not to mention we are still short of an opponent as it is. But next year we are staring down the barrel of Clemson, Pitt, at FSU, at Miami at Louisville and at LSU. I hope the new AD office looks at this possibility, if it is on the table.

They better not. Me and about 15 buddies (coming from all parts of the country) have alreadty started the initial stages of planning this weekend trip to NO and Baton Rouge. We could be good, this could be a CBS primetime game with whatever SEC shmo calls games. Would be super bummed if they cancelled this game.

 

[Eric15]

What's the point of even liking sports if you just want to schedule games where winning is a foregone conclusion?

We were in rebuilding mode in the early 80s, but still played Nebraska. If we played some crap team instead, we would have missed out on one of the greatest moments in SU history.

 

[Ozcuse]

A lot can change between now and that 2017 LSU game. If Les Miles doesn't win 11-12 games this year there is a good chance he isn't the coach next year. A new coach, new system, and lots of player turnover could mean LSU is ripe for an upset in 2017.

On the other hand if LSU somehow stumbles into good QB play we might be in for a world of hurt.

 

[sufandu]

What's the point of even liking sports if you just want to schedule games where winning is a foregone conclusion?

We were in rebuilding mode in the early 80s, but still played Nebraska. If we played some crap team instead, we would have missed out on one of the greatest moments in SU history.

That and it's fun to play good teams from other conferences. I realize having FSU and Clemson on the schedule every year is daunting, but I like the variety of scheduling a good non-conference team too, and one that the whole country typically pays attention to.

 

[Nick44]

What's the point of even liking sports if you just want to schedule games where winning is a foregone conclusion?

We were in rebuilding mode in the early 80s, but still played Nebraska. If we played some crap team instead, we would have missed out on one of the greatest moments in SU history.

How many games on the 2017 schedule do you see as a "foregone conclusion"? Because in terms of a Syracuse win, except for an FCS school, I can't find 1 game that fits in that category. This team is 7-17 over the past two years and is currently restarting its program for the 4th time in 12 years.

You clearly haven't seen this years or next years schedule if you think winning is a foregone conclusion. I am optimistic about the current direction of this program but I only hope that certain elements like non-conference scheduling won't deter from the momentum of what they are trying to build. Unfortunately the national media/fair weather portion of this fanbase only cares about W/L at the end of the day.

 

[Eric15]

How many games on the 2017 schedule do you see as a "foregone conclusion"? Because in terms of a Syracuse win, except for an FCS school, I can't find 1 game that fits in that category. This team is 7-17 over the past two years and is currently restarting its program for the 4th time in 12 years.

You clearly haven't seen this years or next years schedule if you think winning is a foregone conclusion. I am optimistic about the current direction of this program but I only hope that certain elements like non-conference scheduling won't deter from the momentum of what they are trying to build. Unfortunately the national media/fair weather portion of this fanbase only cares about W/L at the end of the day.

We played the 39th toughest schedule last year, and the 41st toughest schedule in 2014. Our schedules just aren't all that difficult. We had bad records because of a lack of talent, injuries and sub-par coaching.

 

[721Comstock]

We played the 39th toughest schedule last year, and the 41st toughest schedule in 2014. Our schedules just aren't all that difficult. We had bad records because of a lack of talent, injuries and sub-par coaching.

Well, until we get the talent, injuries, and coaching issues cleared up (have already done so on that part part) - then why would we hamstring ourselves by playing ANY harder a schedule than we absolutely had to???

We're going to have some tough games baked in every year, by virtue of being in the ACC and having FSU, Clemson, and Llvll in our division.
It's silly to 'schedule losses' in the OOC, until such time as they're not virtually guaranteed losses anymore.

I was at the Nebraska game. It was glorious!
That said, when was the next most-recent "aspirational OOC opponent" game we've won?
Answer - there isn't one. Certainly not in the past dozen years, at least.

 

[Eric15]

Well, until we get the talent, injuries, and coaching issues cleared up (have already done so on that part part) - then why would we hamstring ourselves by playing ANY harder a schedule than we absolutely had to???

College football is about being entertained, and is about exciting regular season matchups more-so than any other sport. Cross-sectional games are what make the sport great.

Again, we scheduled the LSU series right after we had just won three bowl games in four years.

 

[sufandu]

Part of the problem with the fair weather part of the fan base is the damned if we do damned if we don't aspect. If we play lower level teams, even power conference lower level teams, they say, "So what, they haven't beaten anyone good." If we play good teams, they say, "They can't win." I think there are enough winnable games on the schedule to justify playing a big name non-conference team next year. If people are down on us, it won't be because we lost to LSU, FSU, or Clemson. It'll be because we lost to teams we can beat. Louisville is good but should not be feared, and Miami is not the Miami of old.

 

[TheCusian]

How many games on the 2017 schedule do you see as a "foregone conclusion"? Because in terms of a Syracuse win, except for an FCS school, I can't find 1 game that fits in that category. This team is 7-17 over the past two years and is currently restarting its program for the 4th time in 12 years.

You clearly haven't seen this years or next years schedule if you think winning is a foregone conclusion. I am optimistic about the current direction of this program but I only hope that certain elements like non-conference scheduling won't deter from the momentum of what they are trying to build. Unfortunately the national media/fair weather portion of this fanbase only cares about W/L at the end of the day.

Any complaining over this years schedule or the next one is moot - it's not changing.

New AD, new HC - we don't know what they are thinking or how it will play out. My guess based on Wildhack and Baber's public comments is a slight step back in terms of competition. AND we need to remember Baber has reportedly signed a 6 year deal. That's plenty of time to dial back one or two of the opponents to capitalize on what he's trying to accomplish.

 

[Nick44]

We played the 39th toughest schedule last year, and the 41st toughest schedule in 2014. Our schedules just aren't all that difficult. We had bad records because of a lack of talent, injuries and sub-par coaching.

This year we have the 8th toughest schedule and aside from any surprises, I would guess next years will also be a top 10 schedule. IMO, I don't care how well you recruit or coach, unless you are a football factory with endless resources, you can't expect to win at the level that we would all like to see when you continue to paint yourself into a corner with poor scheduling.

 

[TheCusian]

This year we have the 8th toughest schedule and aside from any surprises, I would guess next years will also be a top 10 schedule. IMO, I don't care how well you recruit or coach, unless you are a football factory with endless resources, you can't expect to win at the level that we would all like to see when you continue to paint yourself into a corner with poor scheduling.

Sometimes I think we get the goals mixed up.

- Everyones goal is to win every game, so let's start there. It's a pipe dream for about 90% of our conference right out of the gate, and we are in that boat.

- The next goal is to go to a bowl game.

That's it. The rest is entertainment. So what we should do is to slightly tweak our non-conference schedule to make sure we never play two P5 schools in the non-conf *until* winning every game is a possibility. Playing LSU, ND, Penn St, etc. drives interest in the program, esp the casual fan. It's important. Losing that every season is not sustainable.

 

[Eric15]

This year we have the 8th toughest schedule and aside from any surprises, I would guess next years will also be a top 10 schedule. IMO, I don't care how well you recruit or coach, unless you are a football factory with endless resources, you can't expect to win at the level that we would all like to see when you continue to paint yourself into a corner with poor scheduling.

I guess we have to majorly agree to disagree, my friend. I feel like you and some others are approaching scheduling with the cautious conservatism with which a person would manage their 401K. The thought of not playing at least one showcase non-conference game every season is genuinely depressing to me.

 

[Nick44]

I guess we have to majorly agree to disagree, my friend. I feel like you and some others are approaching scheduling with the cautious conservatism with which a person would manage their 401K. The thought of not playing at least one showcase non-conference game every season is genuinely depressing to me.

I hear ya. Hopefully someday we'll get back to the point where we can have these games and also realistically win 8-10 consistently.

 

[Pyle]

Why would we hamstring ourselves by playing ANY harder a schedule than we absolutely had to???

Because we aren't Rutgers???

This year we have the 8th ranked schedule. ...next year we are staring down the barrel of Clemson, Pitt, at FSU, at Miami at Louisville and at LSU.

First, that's a preseason ranking which means about as much Michael Vick's verbal to SU back in the day. Also, we're in the ACC now, you basically listed a bunch of conference games plus LSU, time to put on your big boy pants, we aren't in the Big East anymore. Either we wanted to be in the ACC or we didn't.

 

[721Comstock]

W

Because we aren't Rutgers

We also aren't:
Baylor, Duke, or NC State - 3 other programs currently doing a LOT better than we are on the field, and who routinely go bowling, primarily due to scheduling winnable OOC games.

Meanwhile - SU keeps on scheduling 1-3 potential losses for every OOC.

Just look back at 2012.
Our best team in a decade, yet we started off 1-3 due to taking losses vs Northwestern, USC, and Minne.
Sigh.