The Syracuse Orange are the highest ranked team in the Big East. They have a higher national ranking than Florida right now. While that's insane, and probably not an accurate reflection of where they should be slotted nationally, this much is clear -- the 2010 Syracuse football season has already been a rousing success. The Orange have defied expectations and while there's much work to be done, it already feels good to point out just how wrong some of the preseason predictions already are.
The one particularly egregious prognostication came from the Orlando Sentinel, which prior to the season ranked the Orange as the 104th team in the FBS -- 13 spots below Akron. At the time I did a lengthy rebuttal as to why this ranking was complete and utter crap, and everything in there still stands.
Go ahead and read the Sentinel's story again. The bitter tone and lack of analysis is amusing, especially when you compare it to Akron's preview. You could see the Akron trainwreck of a season coming a mile away. Jeff Sagarin currently has them as the 216th team in the FBS/FCS combined. Hell, I told you Akron would be terrible and worse than the Orange, and I'm a well documented idiot.
So, in spite of the current success, the writer who did the rankings, Andrea Adelson, hasn't yet recognized the prowess possesed by the mighty men of Marrone. Adelson, who has since moved on to ESPN, doesn't have SU in her current bowl projections.
As I said in May, it's easy to understand why people have undervalued this team -- after five years of putrid play, SU earned their spot at the bottom of the rankings. However, it's clear that some people still aren't paying attention to just how much the program has changed under Doug Marrone. It's clear they haven't seen how hard the Orange play, and how the corner is being turned.
There will undoubtably be more rough spots before the program is back on top. Rough spots like the Pitt game a couple of weeks ago, but as long as Doug Marrone is in charge, the days of triple digit ratings are over -- so pay attention Andrea -- you'll be preaching Orange soon enough. You won't have a choice.
The one particularly egregious prognostication came from the Orlando Sentinel, which prior to the season ranked the Orange as the 104th team in the FBS -- 13 spots below Akron. At the time I did a lengthy rebuttal as to why this ranking was complete and utter crap, and everything in there still stands.
Go ahead and read the Sentinel's story again. The bitter tone and lack of analysis is amusing, especially when you compare it to Akron's preview. You could see the Akron trainwreck of a season coming a mile away. Jeff Sagarin currently has them as the 216th team in the FBS/FCS combined. Hell, I told you Akron would be terrible and worse than the Orange, and I'm a well documented idiot.
So, in spite of the current success, the writer who did the rankings, Andrea Adelson, hasn't yet recognized the prowess possesed by the mighty men of Marrone. Adelson, who has since moved on to ESPN, doesn't have SU in her current bowl projections.
As I said in May, it's easy to understand why people have undervalued this team -- after five years of putrid play, SU earned their spot at the bottom of the rankings. However, it's clear that some people still aren't paying attention to just how much the program has changed under Doug Marrone. It's clear they haven't seen how hard the Orange play, and how the corner is being turned.
There will undoubtably be more rough spots before the program is back on top. Rough spots like the Pitt game a couple of weeks ago, but as long as Doug Marrone is in charge, the days of triple digit ratings are over -- so pay attention Andrea -- you'll be preaching Orange soon enough. You won't have a choice.
2 comments:
I believe these were the same Jacklegs that Urban Meyer almost beatup earlier this year at UF practice. To your point of no respect, it really is disgusting that no ESPN airtime was given to the win over W.VA. this weekend and the experts not giving props to DM, staff or players.
Of course SU will finish last. That wouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. They've lost 34 out of their last 42 conference games and yet play in the weakest conference in the BCS. They're not relevant to major college football.
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