2012-13 Football Previews – (Big East) – Syracuse Orange
It seemed Syracuse had entered the national stage when they dominated nationally-ranked West Virginia 49-23 last year in October. The win took the team to 5-2, and they looked like a team that could win the Big East. Instead, Syracuse confusingly lost its last five games to go 5-7 and miss out on a bowl berth.
Big East Conference 2012-2013 College Football Previews: Syracuse Orange
Head Coach: Doug Marone
2011 Record: 5-7
Syracuse Gambling Odds from BetOnline to win BCS Championship: +120,000
Syracuse Gambling Odds from BetOnline to win Big East Conference: +2,500
Syracuse Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2012 Schedule –>
This will be the team’s last year in the Big East. Can they make it memorable?
Doug Marrone has closed all this Spring’s practices and been much more aggressive to try to make a point to this team. Syracuse had made some progress before last season in getting the program back to respectability, but last season’s collapse really stung. Marrone says he has liked what he has seen in practices, but this team has a lot to prove in 2012.
Team Strengths:
Ryan Nassib has thrown 41 touchdowns and just 17 interceptions in two years as a starter for the Orange. Nassib set Syracuse single-season records for completions and passing yards in 2011. The one knock on him has been his inconsistency in the clutch, but you have to believe Syracuse feels comfortable with him at quarterback.
The linebackers will be the strength of the Syracuse defense. Dyshawn Davis and Dan Vaughan are both play makers. Davis had 10.5 tackles for loss in his freshman year last year, and the team expects big things out of him. Vaughan had 72 tackles last year, and he is a consistent senior contributor for the team. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Team Weaknesses:
Antwon Bailey picked up over 1,000 yards on the ground last year, and the team will badly miss him this year. Jerome Smith and Prince Tyson-Gulley will likely share time in the backfield, but I don’t expect either of them to have the same kind of impact Bailey had in the running game.
The defensive line struggled last year, and they lost their top two players from 2011 as well. Nose tackle is a worry, because Syracuse doesn’t really have anyone who appears to be the type of guy who will clog up the middle.
The offensive line looks pretty thin on the depth charts. Left tackle Justin Pugh is a solid blocker, but the rest of the line is mediocre at best. This could be a real problem, especially since Syracuse lacks a great slasher in the backfield this year.
2012-2013 Syracuse Orange Football Prediction: 4-8
Syracuse lost 22 lettermen from last year’s team, and last year’s team was just 5-7. This year’s non-conference schedule is extremely tough, so the team won’t pick up many cheap wins at the beginning of the season. The two games against the Big Ten (Northwestern and Minnesota) will tell a lot about this team in the first month of the season. Syracuse needs to win at least one of those to keep their bowl hopes alive. I expect it to be a long year for Syracuse fans.
2012 Schedule
9/1/12 12:00 PM ET NWEST
9/8/12 3:30 PM ET USC
9/15/12 4:00 PM ET STONY
9/22/12 8:00 PM ET @MINN
10/5/12 7:00 PM ET PITT
10/13/12 TBD @RUTG
10/19/12 8:00 PM ET CONN
10/27/12 TBD @SOFLA
11/3/12 TBD @CIN
11/10/12 TBD LOU
11/17/12 TBD @MISOU
11/23/12 TBD @TEM
