ACC Sports Journal Predicts 4-8 season...

[orange_in_VA]

I agree with everything you said. I think/hope we will be better than 2 wins, and agree with you that there's no way any Syracuse team should ever have two wins.

But with all of the variables with this team, I just have a hard time saying we are definitely going to win more than that total. Wake Forest is going to be better. USF on the road is not going to be easy, regardless of how good they are. And then every other ACC game is a toss up at best.

The way I see it - the offense is going to have to produce in a big, big way. Especially early. Otherwise, 2 is much more likely than 6 or 7 in my opinion.

I disagree that Wake is gonna be better. They are super young on offense. Clawson has said that they expect to play a lot of freshman again this year. The defense lost a lot of good players. Honestly, Wake might be worse than last year.

 

[OrangePA]

Although, realistically, you have a point. I will never put that number as a cellar, because, we should never be there.

I love this staff, I think everybody here knows that I do. I want them to succeed in the worst way, but, if we finish below 4 wins against this schedule hard looks need to be taken. And, honestly, each one of these coaches would tell you the same thing.

Typically, this would be a drop down year, we lost a lot of talented upperclassmen last season, we're installing a new offense and there's a new coordinator. Unfortunately, due to injuries and such last year, I think we struggled more than we would've under ideal circumstances. Last season should've been a bowl season. It wasn't, so you've got to win with younger kids and you've got to do it now. The OL, QB, WR's & H's are experienced. Your offense should be able to produce in a typical scenario. Working within a new offense, makes it more difficult. They do not have the luxury of a season to get going, they need to do it now.

7 wins this season would be a good accomplishment in my mind. Alot of variables, new personnel and systems. Make the case that somebody should be able to step in and produce all you want, I'd wager a guess that more often than not that doesn't happen.

I'm one of the guys that believes it takes time to develop a system, not everybody agrees with me. But, this staff is going to have to beat that thought process, they're going to have to succeed now.

Week 1: Rhode Island - W
Week 2: WF - W
Week 3: C. Mich - W
Week 4: LSU - L
Week 6: USF - W
Week 7: Virginia - 50/50
Week 8: Pittsburgh - 50/50
Week 9: FSU - L
Week 10: Louisville - Winnable
Week 11: Clemson - Slappin' Capri Suns
Week 12: NC State - Should be a W
Week 13: BC - Winnable (this could blossom into a nice rivalry again) I could see this being a crucial game for both squads, and it's our turn to Win.

I don't think we will have a losing season - I think our talent level is good enough to win at least six games.

If these dire predictions turn out to be true, I have to believe that Coach Shafer will be fired.

New AD + New Chancellor + Losing season = new head coach.

 

[OrangePA]

12-0.

Arnie Burdick??

Have you come back?

 

[jr4750]

I disagree that Wake is gonna be better. They are super young on offense. Clawson has said that they expect to play a lot of freshman again this year. The defense lost a lot of good players. Honestly, Wake might be worse than last year.

agreed, Wake will be the same or worse. Tons of freshman starters and early in the year. We will smoke them. Not to mention their coach bad talking us everywhere he can. We will be up for that game!

 

[Trueblue25]

I bet my left leg we go at the very least 12-0

 

[ImperialOrange]

Losses to LSU, Clemson, FSU?

Would be the common sense answer but for some reason I think we've got something for Clemson this year and may drop another game in conference to someone not named Wake.

 

[TheCusian]

I agree with everything you said. I think/hope we will be better than 2 wins, and agree with you that there's no way any Syracuse team should ever have two wins. But with all of the variables with this team, I just have a hard time saying we are definitely going to win more than that total. Wake Forest is going to be better. USF on the road is not going to be easy, regardless of how good they are. And then every other ACC game is a toss up at best. The way I see it - the offense is going to have to produce in a big, big way. Especially early. Otherwise, 2 is much more likely than 6 or 7 in my opinion.

Tasty, tasty crow.

 

[MSOrange]

Would be the common sense answer but for some reason I think we've got something for Clemson this year and may drop another game in conference to someone not named Wake.

Not sure what else Clemson has coming back, but I'd be really encouraged if we could stop a Deshaun Watson led team. I was impressed with him last year.

 

[orange_in_VA]

Not sure what else Clemson has coming back, but I'd be really encouraged if we could stop a Deshaun Watson led team. I was impressed with him last year.

Watson is really talented. If he stays healthy, Clemson could have a big year.

 

[TheCusian]

Not sure what else Clemson has coming back, but I'd be really encouraged if we could stop a Deshaun Watson led team. I was impressed with him last year.

Injuries might stop him. He had 3 separate injuries last season... If healthy? For sure - he is really good.

 

[SUFan44]

Tasty, tasty crow.

Whatever you say. I would love to be wrong. Just presenting a realistic point of view.

 

[Finwad32]

Not sure what else Clemson has coming back, but I'd be really encouraged if we could stop a Deshaun Watson led team. I was impressed with him last year.

Clemson goes as Deshaun Watson goes. He could be a heisman candidate or they could struggle to win 10.

 

[CanadianSU]

I would kill for an 8-4. But not getting ahead of myself.

6-6 it will be.

 

[Finwad32]

Whatever you say. I would love to be wrong. Just presenting a realistic point of view.

I've had no qualms with what you've said, just a pet peeve of mine to call it a "realistic" point of view. Everybodies point of view is realistic to them.

 

[SUFan44]

I've had no qualms with what you've said, just a pet peeve of mine to call it a "realistic" point of view. Everybodies point of view is realistic to them.

Fair enough. Probably should have said that I presented my realistic point of view.

 

[Finwad32]

Fair enough. Probably should have said that I presented my realistic point of view.

Eh, I'm being ticky tacky, but whatever.

At the end of the day, I feel like anybody who thinks they have a concrete idea of how the season is going to go, has no idea.

I'm completely honest when I say I could see us winning 4 and I could see us winning 9.

 

[jekelish]

I predict that the season will be interrupted by a zombie outbreak and Riley Dixon will be the hero we needed and lead humanity to a decisive victory.

 

[TheCusian]

Whatever you say. I would love to be wrong. Just presenting a realistic point of view.

I don't think it's all that realistic. We won 3 games last season with the most dysfunctional offense I've ever seen. Saying we'll be worse is a stretch, IMO.

 

[anomander]

If you're anybody but an Orange fan you would be ridiculous to predict anything more then 4-5 wins. Obviously we are not that highly thought of, but stepping back and looking at it from a national perspective it makes sense. We have been down for well over a decade now, minus a few decent seasons in the Big East. Our recruiting has been poor when stacked up against the rest of the country, and we seemed to have regressed under a new coaching staff. Again, I presume this is the perspective from somebody outside of CNY looking at the program.

Personally I think we could fall anywhere between 4 - 7 wins. The first 6 are critical. We absolutely must have the first 3. LSU we have nothing to lose, so I hope to see us go balls to the wall, and not play not to get blown out like we did against ND, and FSU last year. I think the season comes down to @USF, and @UVA. We have to at least split. Both programs should be much better this year, and with both being on the road, and USF right after LSU, they will be tough. If we can split, I think we will have enough confidence/momentum, to find a way to get 2 more wins somehow. Best chances would be Pitt, NCST, and BC. Pitt has a new HC, and could be caught in a bit of a transition year, and BC hopefully will be dealing with a bit of a transition year themselves. NCST could be on the upswing. Basically everyone in the conference is getting better, so we obviously need to do the same. I really think we get 5 or 6 wins, with a floor of 4, and ceiling of 7. Anywhere outside those a move needs to be made. Hard look at 4, fired at 3, and given an extension at 7.

 

[Alsacs]

I gotta be fair our basement has to be 4 wins with this schedule this year. If we played South Florida rather than Maryland last year we likely go 4-8 which is where I think our basement is. I think we go 5-7, but I can see anything from 4-8(worst case) to 9-3(if we upset one of Florida State, LSU, Clemson or Louisville) best case.

 

[Alsacs]

If you're anybody but an Orange fan you would be ridiculous to predict anything more then 4-5 wins. Obviously we are not that highly thought of, but stepping back and looking at it from a national perspective it makes sense. We have been down for well over a decade now, minus a few decent seasons in the Big East. Our recruiting has been poor when stacked up against the rest of the country, and we seemed to have regressed under a new coaching staff. Again, I presume this is the perspective from somebody outside of CNY looking at the program.

Personally I think we could fall anywhere between 4 - 7 wins. The first 6 are critical. We absolutely must have the first 3. LSU we have nothing to lose, so I hope to see us go balls to the wall, and not play not to get blown out like we did against ND, and FSU last year. I think the season comes down to @USF, and @UVA. We have to at least split. Both programs should be much better this year, and with both being on the road, and USF right after LSU, they will be tough. If we can split, I think we will have enough confidence/momentum, to find a way to get 2 more wins somehow. Best chances would be Pitt, NCST, and BC. Pitt has a new HC, and could be caught in a bit of a transition year, and BC hopefully will be dealing with a bit of a transition year themselves. NCST could be on the upswing. Basically everyone in the conference is getting better, so we obviously need to do the same. I really think we get 5 or 6 wins, with a floor of 4, and ceiling of 7. Anywhere outside those a move needs to be made. Hard look at 4, fired at 3, and given an extension at 7.

I agree with this except if we get 6 wins even though I am not fan of this staff it deserves an extension so they can continue recruiting effectively.

 

[SUFan44]

I don't think it's all that realistic. We won 3 games last season with the most dysfunctional offense I've ever seen. Saying we'll be worse is a stretch, IMO.

You have your opinion and I have mine. Doesn't make it wrong, just makes it different.

 

[javadoc]

So apparently the ACC Sports Journal thinks we get off to a fast start based on their prediction. It seems that they think we start 4-1, and then lose 7 in a row.

I don't know how you all feel about that, but I just don't see that happening. I strongly believe this years squad, baring injuries, is a bowl team.

What say you Cuse fans!?

6-6 or 7-5. The offense will surprise, and while it won't be up to "Art Briles Coaching Tree" standards, it will put us in a position to win every game except those where we have a massive talent deficit relative to opponent. Defense will be fine, maybe even better than last year. The only place I look on D and see a potentially irreplaceable gap is Reddish at corner. I really like the prospects for the starting DL. Things will look a lot different for us when Thompson is getting pressure, which should help the new secondary guys get acclimated early in the year.

 

[anglerman]

I think your cellar needs to be adjusted, unfortunately. After Rhode Island and (one would think) Central Michigan at home, I don't see how anyone - after last year's performances and seeing who we have returning on both sides of the ball - can say 4 is the cellar. I'd say 2 is the absolute cellar, and if that were to happen I would expect to have a new head coach.

Last season means nothing to this season and no one knows what the future holds Certainly not a sports writer My extremely uneducated guess is the offense is mediocre and the defense is the same SU ends up 7-5 or 8-4 in the regular season. I believe the team is younger but has more talent.

 

[LeMoyneCuse]

That's fair enough based on last seasons complete implosion. But we can't forget that Shafer got arguably a less talented team to a bowl win two years ago. I expect/wish/hope Hunt is better than he was two years ago, and our weapons on offense are starting to stack up. I haven't worried about our D since Shafer has been here, and our whole defensive staff is top notch, imo.

I agree on your talent notion for 2013. That team would have had similar to worse results under Marrone, especially with Hunt at the helm.

The offense was historically terrible last year and can only improve, especially if we have a running back emerge, a la Smith in 2012.

The defense has holes, but I think a couple of breakout players (Thompson, Franklin), coupled with a surprise or two (Rodney Williams) should make for a solid season.

But I'm rarely right about anything, so who knows?