The task before us...long

[StillJimPA]

We have now had almost a week of well deserved euphoria after having been imprisoned in the worst depths of gridiron puragatory for the last 8 or 9 years. It was horrible, testing the soul of the best of us. The last week is akin to the axiom take 24 hours to enjoy the win and get ready for the next game. This is where we need to be now. But not for one game but years of games to come.

I know all of us down not so deep wish only the best of luck for the BE football members we are leaving. In particular West Virgina. We go back a very long ways with the Mountaineers and they are getting sliced and diced because of what college athletics has become. It is not right by any measure.To the others in BE we know what you are feeling as we have been there. It is really , really a horrible ordeal for you with very limited options going forward.

But, to my point. I go back a long, long way with SU football thru the down times and the great times (I will admit it). Hmmm, lets say my fandom goes back to circa 1957 when I was a very young Orangeman in Jr. High in Binghamton. CTO ..feel free to chime in with your expertise on this topic.

The other day a poster here stated he thought going forward we would play slight better than Duke in the ACC. I forgive the poster because to him the McNabb years were a lifetime ago but I thought it was a good indication of what the younger, BB oriented fan thinks of the state of Orange football. I couldn't believe what I was reading.

Now, we are in the Marrone era and we are becoming demonstrably better with a very long way to go to where I hope he wants to be.

We talk about competing for and winning BE titles. Well, with a little more luck that could have happened last year. Hell, it could yet happen this year. I hate to say it but winning a BE title with this group of teams doesn't mean you are a top notch club. It is a nice accomplishment, but remember our champ last year was completely was completely outclassed by Oklahoma in the bowl game

Over the past few years it has been fashionable on this board, myself included, to state ACC football wasn't much better than the BE brand.

I don't believe that any longer. Maybe next year we might be playing teams called VT, Miami, FSU, Clemson and they look quite capable to me. They are not their great teams of the past but still better than any team in the BE with the possible exception 0f WVU. The other teams in the ACC are not dog meat either.

Week to week it is going to be a much tougher grind than the BE.

When we are in the ACC I expect to win.. period. I don't accept middle of the pack performance. When we take the field against anyone I expect to dominate. I expect to win titles. Even with the ups and downs over in the past we have done all of this before. There is no reason we can't do it again. If you don't have these goals and vigorously strive for success than we shouldn't play the game at this level.

That is how I see it. So given where we are now what do we have to do? I have great faith in DM to right this ship given time and resources. We need a "full court press" to elevate the Orange to where it use to be. Call me nuts but I think it can be done.

We have only really been down since the end of the McNabb era. To many posters that my seem like a lifetime but it wasn't that long ago. There have been numerous great teams that have faced extended down years. There is an equal number who restored to their programs to excellence.

We can as well.

Let's be excited about the future. let's think big, support the team by dragging your friends to the game, let's have high expectations. I am jacked up for where we are heading.

Go like Hell OrangeMen!

What are your thoughts and expectations?

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Good Post. I think we need recruit a lot , a lot better to compete, we can't continue to bury are heads in the sand, as if all these diamonds in the rough are going to get us toward the top of the ACC on a consistent basis. The issue is when we play tough teams, using the talent differential as to why we lost won't pay the bills and it certainly won't win games, in order to compete week in week out you need to have similar talent to those you are lining up against and anyone will tell you that. WE simply aren't there yet in the Big East and we certainlt arent there in the ACC

 

[44PRIDE]

I am so thankful the first few years of the Marrone Era were played in the Big East. It would have been a monumental task if Marrone had to rebuild from the Greg Robinson era in a stronger conference.

 

[echosofmanley]

HCDM is program building, many of these diamonds in the rough will be contributors as upperclassmen.

That said, we need immediate impact playmakers on offense !

 

[Chip]

Good Post. I think we need recruit a lot , a lot better to compete,

Exactly why we're better of with Rutgers and UConn on the sidelines. If you took the best players at each position from Rutgers/UConn/SU, you'd have a much better team than any of them are on an individual basis.