Syracuse is staring at the bottom of the ACC again, and this time the orange-clad frustration comes with a new low point: for the first time this season, the Orange sit last in the conference power rankings.
The timing is grim. Syracuse heads into Saturday night’s matchup with Louisville while still trying to make sense of its quarterback situation, and the injuries keep piling up.
Backup Amari Odom and third-stringer Malachi Nelson are both hurt, and former starter Steve Angeli is also injured. With that kind of uncertainty under center, Syracuse’s path out of the cellar looks even harder to find.
That drop to No. 17 comes in a league snapshot that still starts with Miami at the top. The Hurricanes have separated themselves from everyone else, climbing to No. 3 nationally after Texas suffered its first loss. If Miami reaches the ACC championship game unbeaten, the Hurricanes would likely be headed to the College Football Playoff even if they lose in Charlotte in December.
SMU holds down the No. 2 spot despite its loss to Louisville, a result that could end up mattering when the conference race tightens. The Mustangs still have a route back to the title game, though their toughest remaining test is projected for Nov. 14 against Wake Forest. They get another difficult one this weekend against Virginia, fresh off its 28-25 win over Syracuse.
Wake Forest lands at No. 3 and remains one of the season’s biggest surprises. Its only ACC defeat came against Miami on a Friday night, 33-20, and since then the Demon Deacons have rattled off three straight conference wins. A rematch with Miami in December is still in play.
Clemson checks in at No. 4, followed by Virginia at No. 5 after the Cavaliers erased a 17-7 deficit to beat Syracuse. Virginia did not look especially sharp for much of that game, but the teams around it in the rankings left the door open.
Louisville sits seventh in the “best of the rest” group, with Florida State at No. 8, North Carolina at No.
9, Virginia Tech at No. 10, Georgia Tech at No.
11, Duke at No. 12, California at No.
13, North Carolina State at No. 14, Stanford at No. 15 and Boston College at No.
That leaves Syracuse at the very bottom, a place it was one year ago hoping to avoid after going 3-9. The Orange have now lost double-digit conference games in a row dating back to last season, and until they start winning in the ACC, there’s little reason to move them anywhere else.
There are two ACC games on the schedule this weekend: Virginia at SMU and Pittsburgh at Boston College. Both kick off Saturday at noon ET.
In Other News...
Syracuse Just Saw How Far It Still Has To Go Under McNamara
Syracuse got a reminder at Mohegan Sun Arena that the rebuild under Adrian Autry still has work to do, even if the first half looked promising. The Orange led Connecticut by five at halftime in an exhibition game, and for stretches their defense gave them a chance to hang around against a high-level opponent despite playing without Aiden Tobiason, who left early with an injury, and Mark Morano.
The second half told the bigger story. Syracuse was outscored badly after the break and never found enough offense to match its effort on the other end, turning what had been a competitive look into a 72-52 loss. For a team still trying to sort out its identity, the game offered a clear picture of both the progress and the distance left to cover. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuses First McNamara Test Exposed A Concern Fans Cant Ignore
The first real look at Syracuse with Kyle McNamara in an exhibition setting came with plenty to unpack, and not much of it was easy. A trip to Mohegan Sun Arena ended in a 72-52 loss to UConn, with the Orange already short-handed before tipoff after freshman Mark Morano sat out because of injury and Aidan Tobiason went down early with a hamstring issue. Even in an exhibition, the matchup offered a useful early snapshot of where this group stands, and it was clear Syracuse had trouble matching UConns physicality.
Ryan Moesch and Sadiq White provided a few bright spots, but the bigger issues were hard to miss. Syracuse struggled to rebound and had a difficult time finding offense against a defense that smothered possessions and turned the game into a grind. For a team still trying to establish its identity under McNamara, the concern is less about one October result than the way the Orange were pushed around in the areas that usually travel best when the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Syracuses First Gerry McNamara Test Raised One Early Concern
The first exhibition under Gerry McNamara offered an early look at what Syracuse wants to be this season: fast, energetic and willing to play at a pace that can make opponents uncomfortable. There were encouraging signs too, including the debut of freshman Ryan Moesch, along with stretches that hinted at where this group can grow as it settles into McNamaras approach.
Still, the loss to UConn also provided a reminder that the Orange are nowhere near a finished product. Syracuse had moments of promise on the glass and around the basket, but the game exposed some familiar unevenness in shooting and rebounding, and the injury to Aiden Tobiason added another layer of concern to an opener that was supposed to be more about evaluation than results. [Read more 🡒]