P-S Writer Predictions

[Nick44]

i know the season is here when the P-S writers release their sub .500 predictions for the year. Does anyone know when they go out? If I recall, it's usually when the fans excitement for the season reaches its apex. Bud has that knack for "raining" on the birthday cake right before the candles are blown.

 

[rocklloyd]

folks predicting much more than 6-6 are not realists. i can see anywhere from 4 to 6 wins. I would not be disappointed with 4 to 6 if we look like a coherent football team and there is offensive excitement (or at least flashes of it). All I want from this year is hope. I'm willing to be patient.

 

[721Comstock]

folks predicting much more than 6-6 are not realists. i can see anywhere from 4 to 6 wins. I would not be disappointed with 4 to 6 if we look like a coherent football team and there is offensive excitement (or at least flashes of it). All I want from this year is hope. I'm willing to be patient.

THIS.

I appreciate the blind loyalty and Orange Kool-Aid guzzling, but we're got an entirely new system being implemented, and a very tough schedule.

5 wins seems doable, +/- 1 the most realistic range.

A coherent plan on O & D, mostly competent execution of same, ept playcalling and game management -
all of these would be vast improvements upon the past few years.

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I'd take a guaranteed 6 and a bowl appearance, but I think we win at least 7.

 

[SoBristol]

I don't worry about the "entire new system". Babers knows what he is doing, and he has started fast in his past HC jobs. We have a better young QB than we have had in years, and a good set of receivers.

We have a better, smarter set of coaches on offense. After that, it all comes down to talent. And we are better than last year in every position except Ron Thompson's spot at DE and punter. Lots of returning starters in every other unit. Looking for an exciting offense, and a bowl.

 

[hungrychuck]

i know the season is here when the P-S writers release their sub .500 predictions for the year. Does anyone know when they go out? If I recall, it's usually when the fans excitement for the season reaches its apex. Bud has that knack for "raining" on the birthday cake right before the candles are blown.

Isn't the point to accurately predict what might happen rather than to stoke fan interest?

 

[TheCusian]

I'd take a guaranteed 6 and a bowl appearance, but I think we win at least 7.

Yeah - I'm with you. I think people are afraid to be seen as homers. I think 6-7 wins are more accurate than 4-5.

I rematched the first half of the Pitt game, some of Virginia - and a lot of the problems were on D and getting stops. But even with Lester's crappy system we were moving the ball really well. We needed more plays, tempo.

And 3 of our 5 best offensive players were true freshman (Eric, Strickland, Jordan F.)...

Also: everywhere Dino has been, the offensive system gets picked up faster than you would think due to the crazy amount of reps.

People keep saying "Dino is telling us to be patient" and thinking that means we'll be horrible for a while. I don't think that at all. I'd bet privately he thinks we'll be better than where everyone has us pegged.

 

[TheCusian]

Isn't the point to accurately predict what might happen rather than to stoke fan interest?

I think Buds been off by a couple of wins the last few seasons. He's not alone - ESPN keeps trying to pimp BC and Wake as better than us.

 

[hungrychuck]

I think Buds been off by a couple of wins the last few seasons. He's not alone - ESPN keeps trying to pimp BC and Wake as better than us.

I'm no fan of Bud, whereas I do like the other syracuse.com writers.

However...

Bud's been off all right, but maybe not in the way some think:

Bud's prediction for 2015: 5-7
Actual: 4-8

Bud's prediction for 2014: 8-4
Actual: 3-9

 

[007]

Most Vegas books that I have seen have the over/under at 4 or 4.5. This is the point where unbiased expectations should begin, IMO.

For the first time since the Marone era, I have real "hope" that Vegas is off.

I would be thrilled with Bowl eligibility.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

folks predicting much more than 6-6 are not realists. i can see anywhere from 4 to 6 wins. I would not be disappointed with 4 to 6 if we look like a coherent football team and there is offensive excitement (or at least flashes of it). All I want from this year is hope. I'm willing to be patient.

7-5 is realistic. We have a bunch of crappy teams on the schedule. Our D cannot get any worse than last year. If we stay relatively healthy our O will be improved. Plus we are replacing a HC who was lost for one who has proven twice to be able to field a competent team.

Colgate and UConn we were better than last year and we will be more improved than they are.

We beat BC and Wake last year and we will be more improved than they are.

NC State wasn't good last year and they will be worse this year. Last year we had Mahoney at QB and we are home this year. This is an easy flip.

VA Tech is pretty much a toss us.

Pitt is overrated as well. We should have beaten them last year. But this year is on the road so a flip might be hard.

USF we have a home so it makes a flip possible. Also they lost a lot on the OL and DL. But IMO they kicked our ass last year. I know most here thought we were in the game though.

Louisville is another overrated team. They beat no one last year and lost to any team with a pulse. We do have them at home and on a Friday night early in the season. However it would be a big flip compared to last year's game.

ND is overrated but IMO we won't be ready to beat them this year.

Clemson and FSU are losses.


Normally you will lose one of the games you should win and win one of the games you shouldn't. Besides Shafer I think that has been the case for every HC in the history of the game. We really should beat Colgate, UConn, BC, Wake, and NC State. So we are looking at 4-1 there. We really should lose to Louisville, ND, Clemson, FSU. We should go 1-3 there getting us to 5-4 with the other three being toss ups. Since two of the toss ups are at home, we should go 2-1 getting us to 7-5 overall.


It is kinda of sad how our fanbase has ben beaten down by GRob and then again by Shafer. Neither is our coach this year.

 

[nccusefan]

We have been far from great and lacked depth in a lot of places but I think injuries at key positions and the inability to get key stops on defense have killed us the last 2 seasons. I believe we started and played more QBs over the last 2 seasons than any D1 school. I think if we can stay healthy 6 wins is not unreasonable.

 

[HRE Otto IV]

Just to add more on why we should beat NC State:

-They have the worst coach in the ACC

-They lost their QB from last year plus 3 starters on the OL, including an AA.

-Their best win last year was beating the 80th ranked Sagarin team. That is right their best win last year was over SU!!! Their schedule every year is a joke and people see 7-6 and think that they must be decent.


I really think NC State might contend this year for last in the Atlantic.

 

[OrangePA]

Yeah - I'm with you. I think people are afraid to be seen as homers. I think 6-7 wins are more accurate than 4-5.

I rematched the first half of the Pitt game, some of Virginia - and a lot of the problems were on D and getting stops. But even with Lester's crappy system we were moving the ball really well. We needed more plays, tempo.

And 3 of our 5 best offensive players were true freshman (Eric, Strickland, Jordan F.)...

Also: everywhere Dino has been, the offensive system gets picked up faster than you would think due to the crazy amount of reps.

People keep saying "Dino is telling us to be patient" and thinking that means we'll be horrible for a while. I don't think that at all. I'd bet privately he thinks we'll be better than where everyone has us pegged.

It was the defense. In particular the youth and inexperience of the defense.

Lester's system was fine.

He moved the ball and had more explosive plays in one season than any SU team in recent memory.

He also had to rely upon two new QBs who had never played at the major college level.

I don't blame Lester for the problems we had last year.

I have no idea how we will do this year. I am very impressed with Dino and I am hoping that he and his staff and players fool the experts.

 

[TheCusian]

Just to add more on why we should beat NC State: -They have the worst coach in the ACC -They lost their QB from last year plus 3 starters on the OL, including an AA. -Their best win last year was beating the 80th ranked Sagarin team. That is right their best win last year was over SU!!! Their schedule every year is a joke and people see 7-6 and think that they must be decent. I really think NC State might contend this year for last in the Atlantic.

I'd agree with you but Clawson. And I'm not sure the VaTech retread OC is going to get BC to where they want to go.

I do think we finish between 3-4 in the division depending on the Louisville game.

 

[supp]

It was the defense. In particular the youth and inexperience of the defense.

Lester's system was fine.

He moved the ball and had more explosive plays in one season than any SU team in recent memory.

He also had to rely upon two new QBs who had never played at the major college level.

I don't blame Lester for the problems we had last year.

I have no idea how we will do this year. I am very impressed with Dino and I am hoping that he and his staff and players fool the experts.

Old habits die hard I guess. If ISIS wound down after a tough week of beheadings with some option football on Sundays, OrangePA would be arguing for the bombers to at least save the playbooks on their runs.

 

[TheCusian]

It was the defense. In particular the youth and inexperience of the defense. Lester's system was fine. He moved the ball and had more explosive plays in one season than any SU team in recent memory. He also had to rely upon two new QBs who had never played at the major college level. I don't blame Lester for the problems we had last year. I have no idea how we will do this year. I am very impressed with Dino and I am hoping that he and his staff and players fool the experts.

That he was fine compared to all of our other teams in recent memory speaks more to those teams than it does to Lester.

I said it at the time, that with Dungey at QB we needed to put two halves together and we'd have something. That the O was so up and down from one half to the other speaks to youth and/or coaching.

In any regard, whoever you blame - this team will be better on offense by a mile.

 

[007]

It is kinda of sad how our fanbase has ben beaten down by GRob and then again by Shafer. Neither is our coach this year.

Not sure "sad" is the right adjective here to describe fans that might feel beaten down. The reality is we are 65-105 since 2002. 40 below .500 over 13 years. Seems pretty reasonable to me that some of the fanbase might feel beaten down.

This is the first time in a long time we have a HC with HC experience (that should have been a no brainer, right?), high powered offense (another no brainer when you play in a Dome), and record of winning championships.

Hope is justified this year.

 

[orangenauburn]

Sooo all we need is for Babers to stay 12 years, go 98-58 over that time for us to be .500 over a 25 year period?

Man, GRob torpedoed this program

Edit:. No worries. Babers will stay 15 and go 140-55 in that time period

 

[OttoinGrotto]

People keep saying "Dino is telling us to be patient" and thinking that means we'll be horrible for a while. I don't think that at all. I'd bet privately he thinks we'll be better than where everyone has us pegged.

Bingo. What he means is we're not averaging 50 points a game the first season, like we will the second season.

 

[OrangePA]

Old habits die hard I guess. If ISIS wound down after a tough week of beheadings with some option football on Sundays, OrangePA would be arguing for the bombers to at least save the playbooks on their runs.

I think I read somewhere that last year's team scored more points per game than any Syracuse team since McNabb? I'll have to check on that.

Edit - According to Phil Steele Lester's offense tied a Syracuse Football record by scoring 20 points or more 11 times - the last time an Orange team did that was 1997. That was what I was recalling. So, with essentially one season to work with, Lester did pretty well under the circumstances.

But, regardless of the reference to an evil terrorist organization, I admit that like option football.

And that includes read option football.

So, I think I'll like watching Dino's team play.

 

[kcsu]

I'm no fan of Bud, whereas I do like the other syracuse.com writers.

However...

Bud's been off all right, but maybe not in the way some think:

Bud's prediction for 2015: 5-7
Actual: 4-8

Bud's prediction for 2014: 8-4
Actual: 3-9

Bud is off on more than his predictions. Guy is super negative. Cant stand his attempt at writing

 

[OttoinGrotto]

I think I read somewhere that last year's team scored more points per game than any Syracuse team since McNabb? I'll have to check on that.

If that's true, the unfortunate thing is that it's a terrible benchmark. Teams score a lot more than they did in the McNabb days. We need to benchmark against how teams score now. Dino will get us there. Lester I don't believe ever would have. Some of that due to his own scheme, some of that because Shafer wasn't comfortable with big point totals.

 

[sufandu]

Bingo. What he means is we're not averaging 50 points a game the first season, like we will the second season.

Is this hyperbole or do you think we'll score more than BG did last year?

 

[FAL]

We have been far from great and lacked depth in a lot of places but I think injuries at key positions and the inability to get key stops on defense have killed us the last 2 seasons. I believe we started and played more QBs over the last 2 seasons than any D1 school. I think if we can stay healthy 6 wins is not unreasonable.

Good comments, plus I love your avatar. But add a little dot of Orange in NEPA--Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Keep posting!