Very happy with the team so far. Really excited about how things can potentially play out.
Darn excited about (in no particular order) Dungey, the offense, Chancellor Kent, our AD, the recruiting, the potential of a new(er) Dome, and the overall trajectory the program is on. Nothing legendary, but solid progress for the program.
Above all, I simply want to get back to being the most prominent program in the northeast. Can it be done? Can we rise above BC, Penn State, Rutgers,. Maryland and Pitt (sorry UConn. You are akin to Buffalo and not in THIS conversation). Sure, but it is a steep hill to climb. I’ll say this: it WONT’ be easy, it WON’T happen in a straight line and it WILL be a challenge to sustain (if we ever get there).
It won’t be easy…
Penn State has so so many advantages over us. But they are also “programmed” to finish 3rd or 4th in their own B1G Division. I mean, over the next 6-8 years, do you see them finishing higher that Ohio State or Michigan very often? Same with Michigan State, who seems to be a rock solid top 15 team these days. Personally, I don’t think Franklin will be their HC in 2018. I think they’ll have moved on to Temple’s current HC.
Addazio appears to be a quality football coach who will succeed at BC if he has the athletes. The question is, will he stay at BC long enough. He might get some nibbles. He's good.
The Terps seem to recruit at a high level. They are in DC. But Randy is … Randy. Plus, they are in a Midwestern conference and their main rival is Rutgers.
Rutgers? Need I say more? They are starting over in about 2-3 months. Look who will be tasked with making the hire. I don’t think Schiano is walking through that door.
Pitt has some potential, but I really believe their stadium situation is more a hindrance than a help. And they are always going to be 5th fiddle in that town (Steelers, Pirates, Penguins, Penn State. Pitt).
It won’t be a straight line …
Folks, we aren’t going to win every game we should, and we won’t lose every time we should. If we lose at UVa in a few weeks, all is not lost. If we lose next year at Wake Forest, don’t automatically assume the end is near. This is a process and there are bound to be ups and downs. Random variance, as the math wiz kids say. We could beat Clemson in a few weeks. Does not mean we have arrived as a Top 25 power? No. (but it would be fun and a large step in the right direction).
Along the same lines, Eric Dungy has thrown less than 40 passes in his career. His maturation, much like the program’s, is going to likely be erratic. Next year we’ll have essentially a new offensive line. That will take time to gel. Injuries will hit us, we will play some great games and sometimes come up on the short end. Maybe a recruit or two don't qualify or won't listen to his father. Maybe we get a stud TE from the left coast because he wants to move home. Things happen, both good and bad.
The challenge to sustain …
Assuming (and it is an “if” at this point) we can get to the top or near the top of the northeast, how can we sustain it? One way is with a head coach that doubles as an offensive guru. This is not likely to happen at SU. At least not in the near term. There are not a bunch of gridiron Jim Boeheim types walking around the Hill these days.
The other thing factor would be a new(er) Dome. Do it right. Please. I have so much faith in Chancellor Kent and AD Mark Coyle. This is a 30-40 year decision. Don't skimp too much, please.
Designate a quadrant of the building for academia. Make it 10% smaller. I think retractable works, but I know it is not as easy as it sounds. Make the outside facade more appealing. Wire it right. Have real locker rooms, real space for media that could potentially attract a Final Four or a NFL preseason game. Let’s make football in Syracuse, New York an EVENT again. The new(er) Dome will play a big part in the future of Syracuse University and Syracuse the city. If done right, it can help SU sustain football success, like we experienced from 1984-1998 (or arguably 2001).
Full disclosure: I went to SU in the early 1990s, when football was, for a period of time, a bigger deal than hoops on campus. I love both sports (lax too), but I am really craving relevancy and success on the football field.
Darn excited about (in no particular order) Dungey, the offense, Chancellor Kent, our AD, the recruiting, the potential of a new(er) Dome, and the overall trajectory the program is on. Nothing legendary, but solid progress for the program.
Above all, I simply want to get back to being the most prominent program in the northeast. Can it be done? Can we rise above BC, Penn State, Rutgers,. Maryland and Pitt (sorry UConn. You are akin to Buffalo and not in THIS conversation). Sure, but it is a steep hill to climb. I’ll say this: it WONT’ be easy, it WON’T happen in a straight line and it WILL be a challenge to sustain (if we ever get there).
It won’t be easy…
Penn State has so so many advantages over us. But they are also “programmed” to finish 3rd or 4th in their own B1G Division. I mean, over the next 6-8 years, do you see them finishing higher that Ohio State or Michigan very often? Same with Michigan State, who seems to be a rock solid top 15 team these days. Personally, I don’t think Franklin will be their HC in 2018. I think they’ll have moved on to Temple’s current HC.
Addazio appears to be a quality football coach who will succeed at BC if he has the athletes. The question is, will he stay at BC long enough. He might get some nibbles. He's good.
The Terps seem to recruit at a high level. They are in DC. But Randy is … Randy. Plus, they are in a Midwestern conference and their main rival is Rutgers.
Rutgers? Need I say more? They are starting over in about 2-3 months. Look who will be tasked with making the hire. I don’t think Schiano is walking through that door.
Pitt has some potential, but I really believe their stadium situation is more a hindrance than a help. And they are always going to be 5th fiddle in that town (Steelers, Pirates, Penguins, Penn State. Pitt).
It won’t be a straight line …
Folks, we aren’t going to win every game we should, and we won’t lose every time we should. If we lose at UVa in a few weeks, all is not lost. If we lose next year at Wake Forest, don’t automatically assume the end is near. This is a process and there are bound to be ups and downs. Random variance, as the math wiz kids say. We could beat Clemson in a few weeks. Does not mean we have arrived as a Top 25 power? No. (but it would be fun and a large step in the right direction).
Along the same lines, Eric Dungy has thrown less than 40 passes in his career. His maturation, much like the program’s, is going to likely be erratic. Next year we’ll have essentially a new offensive line. That will take time to gel. Injuries will hit us, we will play some great games and sometimes come up on the short end. Maybe a recruit or two don't qualify or won't listen to his father. Maybe we get a stud TE from the left coast because he wants to move home. Things happen, both good and bad.
The challenge to sustain …
Assuming (and it is an “if” at this point) we can get to the top or near the top of the northeast, how can we sustain it? One way is with a head coach that doubles as an offensive guru. This is not likely to happen at SU. At least not in the near term. There are not a bunch of gridiron Jim Boeheim types walking around the Hill these days.
The other thing factor would be a new(er) Dome. Do it right. Please. I have so much faith in Chancellor Kent and AD Mark Coyle. This is a 30-40 year decision. Don't skimp too much, please.
Designate a quadrant of the building for academia. Make it 10% smaller. I think retractable works, but I know it is not as easy as it sounds. Make the outside facade more appealing. Wire it right. Have real locker rooms, real space for media that could potentially attract a Final Four or a NFL preseason game. Let’s make football in Syracuse, New York an EVENT again. The new(er) Dome will play a big part in the future of Syracuse University and Syracuse the city. If done right, it can help SU sustain football success, like we experienced from 1984-1998 (or arguably 2001).
Full disclosure: I went to SU in the early 1990s, when football was, for a period of time, a bigger deal than hoops on campus. I love both sports (lax too), but I am really craving relevancy and success on the football field.
