Is Syracuse Football A Lost Cause?

[CNYGuy]

History is largely irrelevant to the present day.

IU appears to have hit a home run with Cignetti, but check out the huge extension he received to keep him there. IU has alumni money, most notably Mark Cuban.

Which CFP teams have the most money? Breaking down field by NIL spending power

Elite spenders highlight this year's playoff bracket, but some teams are doing more with less

www.cbssports.com

Good article. Not surprising, most of the CFP teams have some of the biggest athletics/NIL budgets.

That article is ONLY teams in the CFP and Indiana is only listed ahead of Tulane and James Madison.

 

[Scooch]

Don’t think transparency would be helpful to the health of the program if they were considering dropping down, but waiting to see if things can improve.

I get that. Personally, I just get exhausted by the constant “we have plenty of NIL / we don’t have nearly enough NIL” that we hear from various folks. I’d like to see SU make clear signals what their intentions may be. Perhaps they will when the new Chancellor starts.

 

[Dinkyspond]

So, if we go 5-7 next year, you think we should fire the coach? I don't agree with that at all. We are recruiting at a higher level than we have in ages. We had a 10 win season. Not the norm for us. Yes, we had a disgraceful season this year. The loss of our starting qb had more than a little to do with that. We can't just keep firing coaches. We need stability. And a plan. I think Brown gives us this. We knew he wasn't a x and o guy when we hired him. A little patience might be in order.

yes, if he can't win 6 games next year, he needs to be replaced. We went from a 10-win season to worst team in major college football over the last 10 weeks of the season (8 consecutive non-competitive blowouts plus 2 byes). All the goodwill from 2024 was erased by the embarrassment of post-September 21. Good programs find a way to be competitive when they lose QB1. The problems went beyond losing QB1.The defense and Oline were atrocious. He didn't solve the annual injury epidemic followed by the usual no depth. I've lost all confidence after watching that mess. We looked worse than Grob's teams and that's saying a lot.

 

[dasher]

yes, if he can't win 6 games next year, he needs to be replaced. We went from a 10-win season to worst team in major college football over the last 10 weeks of the season (8 consecutive non-competitive blowouts plus 2 byes). All the goodwill from 2024 was erased by the embarrassment of post-September 21. Good programs find a way to be competitive when they lose QB1. The problems went beyond losing QB1.The defense and Oline were atrocious. He didn't solve the annual injury epidemic followed by the usual no depth. I've lost all confidence after watching that mess. We looked worse than Grob's teams and that's saying a lot.

Yeah, I think that is way too premature. We can fix our problems with good players and he can get us good players. That doesn't mean he doesn't have a lot to learn. We knew that when we hired him. Because the likelihood is if we follow your plan, we are firing and hiring another coach in 3 years.

 

[Ttk.gman2]

I get that. Personally, I just get exhausted by the constant “we have plenty of NIL / we don’t have nearly enough NIL” that we hear from various folks. I’d like to see SU make clear signals what their intentions may be. Perhaps they will when the new Chancellor starts.

Do you have any hope for football? I have mixed feelings after reading the board the last couple days.

 

[Scooch]

Do you have any hope for football? K have mixed feelings after reading the board the last couple days.

I almost always have hope. That’s just my default POV. But my expectations for football are far different than they are for hoops.

 

[Ttk.gman2]

I almost always have hope. That’s just my default POV. But my expectations for football are far different than they are for hoops.

I’m optimistic because of the new, experienced coaching staff, but I still want to see some portal additions who can make an immediate, positive impact next season. I’m not going to overreact, though—I’ll wait until the ball is snapped in August lol.

 

[sufandu]

Do you have any hope for football? I have mixed feelings after reading the board the last couple days.

Don't let the board determine how you feel. We're all (well most) a bunch of ill informed prognosticating schmoes discussing what ifs on the internet.

 

[GoSU96]

Hope is not a plan.

What is in front of the school is opportunity in this new environment.

What they do with that opportunity is a function of application of resources, leveraging the qualities of the school that can attract talent, hiring the right staff, using a non-standard approach, and luck (good and bad). And a bit of ruthlessness.

 

[OrangePA]

Of course you aren't. We didn't know at that time that we could be as good in football as we were until, we were. We won't know for certain until we do it. If we can.

I’m not sure I understand your post.

In the Jake C era we pretty did what we hoped to do in football.

I don’t think we out performed our expectations.

 

[dasher]

I’m not sure I understand your post.

In the Jake C era we pretty did what we hoped to do in football.

I don’t think we out performed our expectations.

I go back to when Coach Mac was first hired. There was talk before the Carrier Dome was built that we should drop down. No one knew then that we would build up the football program like we did. My point is, you never know until either you do it or you don't.

 

[SuFTW]

Hope is not a plan.

What is in front of the school is opportunity in this new environment.

What they do with that opportunity is a function of application of resources, leveraging the qualities of the school that can attract talent, hiring the right staff, using a non-standard approach, and luck (good and bad). And a bit of ruthlessness.

Rebellions are built on hope.

 

[OrangePA]

I go back to when Coach Mac was first hired. There was talk before the Carrier Dome was built that we should drop down. No one knew then that we would build up the football program like we did. My point is, you never know until either you do it or you don't.

The de-emphasis talk was in 1970 during the John Corbally administration.

The study he commissioned concluded that there should be no de-emphasis. The need to replace Archbold followed the study.

The goals outlined by Scooch were pretty much the goals that followed the Ben Schwartzwalder era - even though many believed that football could achieve more than that.

 

[GoSU96]

Rebellions are built on hope.

Rebellions are built on the correlation of forces and the lack of will of those in power

 

[JaySU22]

Post Covid year Dino was building a solid foundation that lacked the ability to make it through a full season. They went to bowls the two years prior to 24 and should have won at least 6 games in 21. The seasoned talent Fran brought in combined with that foundation got the team to 10 wins, and it should have been better.

Why would you think it was hopeless when it has been demonstrated twice in 7 years dbl digit wins are achievable.

McCord had a special connection to Fran. In the current climate Dungey would have been poached once he broke out.

I only feel it won’t be hopeless if we can somehow spend in a Top 40ish way, which I am dubious on. Would love to be proven wrong.

 

[GoSU96]

McCord had a special connection to Fran. In the current climate Dungey would have been poached once he broke out.

I only feel it won’t be hopeless if we can somehow spend in a Top 40ish way, which I am dubious on. Would love to be proven wrong.

And yet they got Steve Angeli the very next year.

 

[RCDICK44]

I go back to when Coach Mac was first hired. There was talk before the Carrier Dome was built that we should drop down. No one knew then that we would build up the football program like we did. My point is, you never know until either you do it or you don't.

Don't forget , it took Coach mac 5 years to build a decent team.

 

[SuFTW]

Rebellions are built on the correlation of forces and the lack of will of those in power

I think you missed the reference.

 

[dasher]

Don't forget , it took Coach mac 5 years to build a decent team.

Yes and there was a sac mac group that wanted him fired.

 

[orangmannc1]

Don't forget , it took Coach mac 5 years to build a decent team.

Different times. At that time players pretty much stayed at the same school for the 4 years. Coaches could develop the players and see improvement year to year. Now each year it is a question of keeping your best players and at the same time get portal guys that cam help. Money is the driving force for the portal players and I am afraid that SU can not keep up with this race.

 

[Ozone!]

No, however Cuse will need to be innovative in its approach. We are currently not able to keep pace with the behemoths in college football financially.
I believe that HCFB’s approach to brining in highly rated players from mid-majors is a sound one.
There are many reasons to assess our situation and find it a very steep climb; however, I believe that our best current approach is to follow Coach Brown’s plan.
Will he make mistakes, yes; all Head Coaches do! Does he learn from and make adjustments, as needed? I believe he does. Go Orange Football!

 

[Scooch]

Sometimes I wonder if in the early 1980s people were referencing what happened with SU football in the late 1930s. Because that's the same distance as the early 80s are to 2026.

I love sports history but what did, or didn't, happen during Coach Mac's time is utterly irrelevant. The sport is now unrecognizable from that era.

 

[Dinkyspond]

Don't forget , it took Coach mac 5 years to build a decent team.

in the portal age, building a program over in even a 3-year period is obsolete. You should be able to flip a program in a year. The clock is ticking Fran Brown.

 

[sufandu]

Different times. At that time players pretty much stayed at the same school for the 4 years. Coaches could develop the players and see improvement year to year. Now each year it is a question of keeping your best players and at the same time get portal guys that cam help. Money is the driving force for the portal players and I am afraid that SU can not keep up with this race.

Yeah, it's feast or famine. You can turn over a roster quickly, but your roster can also abandon you.

 

[sufandu]

in the portal age, building a program over even a 3-year period is obsolete. You should be able to flip a program in a year. The clock is ticking Fran Brown.

Should? Too strong of a word. It's possible but not required. Flipping the program is about more than roster change. And a school with an irrelevant reputation may not flip the entire roster in a year. If you make some important changes and show progress one season, it's an easier sell to change the roster more the next. Losing our starting QB and falling flat on our face against a tough schedule last year made Fran's job harder, for sure. I think the coaching changes will help us on the x's and o's side and give him stronger footing to sell the program going forward.