Now That Basketball Is Over, This Football Foreplay is Killin' Me

[SWC75]

Friday August 31st can't get here soon enough and yet we have no choice but to persevere until kickoff. So much anticipation: Who will emerge from Spring practice? Who will we add to the roster? What kind of details will be teased out of closed practices? Will we finally experience a blow out against a P5 team (I mean one in our favor). It seems like years since that happened. Will we finally, finally be ranked for the first time since 2001? I was almost young then.

It's not easy being an Orange Football fan, but well worth the effort. It's not really effort, it's more a fever that envelops you. Just the fact that you're reading this "fan fiction" from an SU fanatic indicates you understand what I mean. There's always the potential for a superb season - '87, '92, '05 (superbly awful). At this stage it doesn't even have to be that superb. We probably have a better chance of a sterling season in 2019 as we're now stockpiling some really decent peer talent.

What freshman will get 2-deep playing time? - Trill Williams, DE Okechukwu, WR Hendrix, RB Howard or, my sleeper, Cooper Lutz. Will the new set of LBs contribute to our now possibly staunch DL (I'm loving Robinson, not to mention Slayton) and our newly smurfless secondary. We could be a beast defensively now that we've developed a little depth at the DL and in the secondary. At least we shouldn't melt down in November like we've been prone to lately.

The anticipation is killin' me in a good way. The Spring Game performances and their significance are yet to be registered. The college football magazines (yes I still buy at least one and leave it on the nightstand) will hit the newsstands in early May. Who will be the new recruits/grad transfers/JUCOs we land between now and summer camp - listening Jordan and Johnson?

Well there you have it. A little spasm of my Orange heart typed out for posterity. Where else am I going to put this energy? Here damn it. Here with you folks. Meanwhile I'll enjoy the ride, send prayers to Rex, hope the injury bugaboo is limited, if non-existent, and instead of losing close games to mostly excellent teams we start winning them. And that come November Notre Dame is sorry they opted for an alumni-pleasing football game in our backyard at Yankee Stadium. We still owe them for 1961.

Don't press the fast forward button on life. It might stick.

 

[All4SU]

Love SU football. But I’ll never wish away a single day waiting for it to get here. Enjoy today. It only happens once. “To everything there is a season...”

 

[NJCuse97]

Love SU football. But I’ll never wish away a single day waiting for it to get here. Enjoy today. It only happens once. “To everything there is a season...”

Just excited to see our season for losing end and a new season of winning begin. Turn, turn, turn.

 

[blizz]

Thursday's child has far to go.

 

[TexanMark]

Yep, that could really happen. But I think it's a best case scenario. And, you're right. That opening game in Kalamazoo is going to make or break our attendance for September.

Probably is a tad optimistic...my logic. With a WMU win and being the home opener on a non-Labor Day weekend they get a decent showing. FSU is FSU and will draw. Take a drop with the UConn being the 3rd game in a row at home and UConn will only travel 500-750.

I then assume Cuse is 4-1 or 3-2 heading into the NC teams (only Clemson and FSU as projected losses, I think we beat Pitt). The team either picks up huge momentum here or it falls back after UNC/NC St. The favorable scheduling quirk is there is a bye week between Pitt and UNC. NC St is the huge swing game attendance wise. I can envision a scenario going either way attendance wise. Louisville is big due to Friday night TV and I'm figuring Cuse sits at 5+ wins.

8/31 at Western Michigan TBA (expect 6pm)
9/8 vs. Wagner TBA
9/15 vs. Florida State TBA
9/22 vs. Connecticut TBA
9/29 at Clemson TBA
10/6 at Pittsburgh TBA
10/20 vs. North Carolina TBA
10/27 vs. North Carolina State TBA
11/3 at Wake Forest TBA
11/9 vs. Louisville TBA
11/17 at Notre Dame 2:30 ET
11/24 at Boston College TBA

 

[reedny]

Probably is a tad optimistic...my logic. With a WMU win and being the home opener on a non-Labor Day weekend they get a decent showing. FSU is FSU and will draw. Take a drop with the UConn being the 3rd game in a row at home and UConn will only travel 500-750.

I then assume Cuse is 4-1 or 3-2 heading into the NC teams (only Clemson and FSU as projected losses, I think we beat Pitt). The team either picks up huge momentum here or it falls back after UNC/NC St. The favorable scheduling quirk is there is a bye week between UNC and NC St. NC St is the huge swing game attendance wise. I can envision a scenario going either way attendance wise. Louisville is big due to Friday night TV and I'm figuring Cuse sits at 5+ wins.

8/31 at Western Michigan TBA (expect 6pm)
9/8 vs. Wagner TBA
9/15 vs. Florida State TBA
9/22 vs. Connecticut TBA
9/29 at Clemson TBA
10/6 at Pittsburgh TBA
10/20 vs. North Carolina TBA
10/27 vs. North Carolina State TBA
11/3 at Wake Forest TBA
11/9 vs. Louisville TBA
11/17 at Notre Dame 2:30 ET
11/24 at Boston College TBA

Bye is after Pitt, right? Assuming that, we should be 4-2 at that point, with losses to Clemson and Fl-St.

 

[TheCusian]

I don't understand not having expectations. Should we expect to be investing in losing? It's a business and business requires return on investment from the AD down to the fanbase. Babers has momentum still based on his signature wins and recruiting classes. If fans and recruits don't see wins soon, he loses all that faith. At this point, Babers needs to have 6 wins this year to match Shafer's win total for twice (or more) of the investment. Thats only in regards to the pay of the head coach. Baber's staff is presumably making more money as well and he has more support staff and resources than any coach we've ever had.

He's easy to root for and I've always believed coaches deserve time (5 years) to build a program (unless it's a Gerg dumpster fire), but those days are over in modern football. 3-4 years. That's the expectation. Year 3 should not include losing to a MAC school.

I hear ya. I just absolutely detest turning expectations into red lines. What if he beats FSU and Clemson, but loses to WMU due to suspensions or something?

Pay shouldn't come into it, at all. It's just this question: Is this the coach that is capable of building sustained success here? The answer for Shafer: no. Marrone: yes. Gerg: no. P: maybe - it was trending down? DB: yes, so far.

W/L records are a trailing indicator. They are not accurate barometers of a program all by themselves. Loses to G5 schools are not accurate barometers all by themselves. When you are answering that question you take all available info, not just one thing.

 

[Lynch1967]

Assuming we beat WMU to start

Sept 8th Wagner 34k announced, 28k actual
Sept 15th FSU 45k announced, 41k actual
Sept 22nd UConn 38k announced, 34k actual
Oct 20th UNC 40k announced, 37k actual
Oct 27th NCSt 40k announce, 37k actual
Nov 9th (Fri) Louisville 45k announced, 41k actual

My guesses assumes...this team is on track for 7 wins. Adjust up or down as the record plays out. If Cuse has a breakout season and we are looking at 8+ wins...Louisville could be close to a sell out for Friday Night.

Just for hsits and giggles, I saved your post just to see how you do, not to call you out or bash you if you're off. Pure curiosity ; )

 

[TexanMark]

Bye is after Pitt, right? Assuming that, we should be 4-2 at that point, with losses to Clemson and Fl-St.

You are too quick...I fixed the error while you were posting.

 

[TexanMark]

Just for hsits and giggles, I saved your post just to see how you do, not to call you out or bash you if you're off. Pure curiosity ; )

LOL...we'll see. Hey I'm friends with RutgersAl. BTW, Al gets bashed but he is a super guy.

 

[Lynch1967]

LOL...we'll see. Hey I'm friends with RutgersAl. BTW, Al gets bashed but he is a super guy.

Never met him or spoken with him. As humorous as his posts can be i have always been curious as to how serious he believes his comments to be...he can't really believe that stuff, right?

Where does Al post, Rivals? I never see his comments anywhere.

 

[TexanMark]

Never met him or spoken with him. As humorous as his posts can be i have always been curious as to how serious he believes his comments to be...he can't really believe that stuff, right?

Where does Al post, Rivals? I never see his comments anywhere.

I sent you a PM with Al's back story.

He used to post at Rivals. Not sure if he got banned from the boards. Frankly some of your own fans were brutal to him.

 

[Lynch1967]

I sent you a PM with Al's back story.

He used to post at Rivals. Not sure if he got banned from the boards. Frankly some of your own fans were brutal to him.

I don't doubt that, especially if he spent time at Rivals. I dont like it there for reasons just like that. If he got the same treatment at 247, I wouldn't know as I haven't been to the free board there in years even though I am on there every day but only on the premium and people there seem to enjoy him

 

[Pyle]

I don't know...I'd say beating a 1AA school in overtime on a trick play by your punter for a 1 point win is worse than losing to a mid major.

Except the Nova win still counted as a W for bowl eligibility. A Loss never counts. As a fan it was a punch in the gut game, but it had a more positive influence on the program than the MTSU loss did last year with Shafer doing pressers with victory cigars. Nova was bad, MTSU was bad with a side of that sucked.

 

[RandomGuy]

Assuming we beat WMU to start

Sept 8th Wagner 34k announced, 28k actual
Sept 15th FSU 45k announced, 41k actual
Sept 22nd UConn 38k announced, 34k actual
Oct 20th UNC 40k announced, 37k actual
Oct 27th NCSt 40k announce, 37k actual
Nov 9th (Fri) Louisville 45k announced, 41k actual

My guesses assumes...this team is on track for 7 wins. Adjust up or down as the record plays out. If Cuse has a breakout season and we are looking at 8+ wins...Louisville could be close to a sell out for Friday Night.

With your assumptions, I almost think you are spot on, with 2 exceptions- FSU and Louisville.

I checked announced attendance from all the Marrone years. Games with 41k or more:
2009 WV : 48k
2010 UConn 41.6k
BC 42k
2011 Rutgers 42k
WVU 45k
USF 41k
2012. No games with 41k

Marrone managed 45k twice. I'll give you 41k, announced, on those 2. Also wonder if the national attendance trend will put Cuse a few percentages off historical #'s, when there are more meaningful games.

 

[Moontan]

Dino can not lose to another mid-major. Greg Robinson only lost to a mid-major once. Marrone and Shafer never did.

Marrone, Toledo, Krautman, extra point, <cough><cough>

 

[TexanMark]

Marrone, Toledo, Krautman, extra point, <cough><cough>

You wanna get a Toledo fan pissed off...bring up that game

 

[reedny]

LOL...we'll see. Hey I'm friends with RutgersAl. BTW, Al gets bashed but he is a super guy.

He's been at a few FM tail gates, I believe. If you tell him Rutgers fans are delusional, he just laughs. And then you realize that they're college kids and, since we're all just watching and not playing, it doesn't matter.

 

[Crusty]

Marrone, Toledo, Krautman, extra point, <cough><cough>

Every time I get upset when a call goes against us that replay goes off on my head and I have to laugh and calm down. One of the worst calls ever. They must have been looking in the stands and not at the goal posts.

 

[OrangePA]

C'mon.

Shafer never sniffed the wins in his 4 years that Babers has had in 2 years. Marrone didn't have any in his first two that matched Babers - he also was HC when they were a defecto mid-major in the depleted Big East. He lost to Rutgrs and Uconn.

Let's steer clear of "he can't" statements.

I think Marrone beat Northwestern in his first game?

Am I right about that?

 

[SWC75]

I think Marrone beat Northwestern in his first game?

Am I right about that?

We lost to Minnesota in the game that started out with the "hike to nowhere". Doug beat Northwestern in his 3rd game.

Syracuse Historical Scores

 

[OrangePA]

We lost to Minnesota in the game that started out with the "hike to nowhere". Doug beat Northwestern in his 3rd game.

Syracuse Historical Scores

Oh yes, the Gophers brought the great college WR, Eric Decker to the Dome that day.

We should have won that game.

 

[TheCusian]

I think Marrone beat Northwestern in his first game?

Am I right about that?

No. But that win a few weeks later wasn’t as good as VaTech or in the same stratosphere as Clemson.

 

[OrangePA]

No. But that win a few weeks later wasn’t as good as VaTech or in the same stratosphere as Clemson.

Yeah, but Marrone inherited a far worse program than Babers inherited - and it's not even close.

Marrone changed the trajectory of the program in an instant.

His win against NW - a solid Big Ten team - after nearly beating another Big Ten team - Minnesota - made clear that things had changed.

 

[Crusty]

Yeah, but Marrone inherited a far worse program than Babers inherited - and it's not even close.

Marrone changed the trajectory of the program in an instant.

His win against NW - a solid Big Ten team - after nearly beating another Big Ten team - Minnesota - made clear that things had changed.

That is fair. I don't think anyone who believes that DM is not a good coach is being objective. It is possible to acknowledge his ability and still be disappointed with his personality and opportunism.