Syracuse Orange 2022 College Football Preview
August 5, 2022
2021 Recap
Record –5-7
ATS – 8-4
The Orange played good football for the majority of the campaign and stood at 5-4 at one point in the season. It looked like they’d make a bowl game for the first time since 2018! What could possibly go wrong? Well, they SHAT the bed and lost their final three games by a combined score of 113-34 (!) and that meant HOME for the HOLIDAYS.
Syracuse Orange 2022 Outlook
OFFENSE
The Orange were a ONE TRICK PONY last season (#16 FBS rushing offense, #121 passing) and they rode the legs of the great RB Sean Tucker (1,496, 12 TD, 6.1) and QB Garrett Shrader (781, 14 TD) to do the majority of their damage. We expect the offense to utilize the THROW GAME a lot more given the preferences of new OC Robert Anae (Virginia) but Shrader will have to prove that he can handle a much larger responsibility moving the ball thru the air. At least the WR/TE group is experienced, so that should help. All-Universe RB Tucker is back for his sophomore (!) season and it’ll be interesting to see what he can do once defense has to pay more attention to the WRs. The OL looks good as it features four returning starters and over 100 career starts. We fully expect to see a lot more balance and improved overall production.
DEFENSE
Syracuse did some good things on defense LY as they were stout vs the run (126 YPG, #4 ACC) and they got some heat on opposing QBs (37 sacks, #4 ACC). They were mediocre vs the pass (#104 FBS pass efficiency D) but you can’t have everything. Things look good heading into 2022 as they return eight starters and their top-four tacklers. It’s not all roses tho as they’ve gotta undergo a complete reload up front and they lack size and proven pass rushing ability. Definite area of concern. The good news is that they are rock solid at the next two levels. The LB group is one of the best in the ACC and they should be able to mask some of the weakness up front. The unit features the team’s top-three tacklers including 1st Team ACC honoree Mikel Jones (110 tackles, 13 TFL LY). We expect much better on the back end with the return of three starters including rising star Darian Chestnut at CB.
SPECIAL TEAMS
The Orange were rated #110 in the PHIL STEELE special teams rankings LY but they return all the key components and should take a step forward. Having said that, the kicking game wasn’t exactly INSPIRATIONAL in 2021. Punter James Williams had a pathetic 33.2 yard net and PK Andre Szmyt hit just 9-14 FG attempts. The jury is still out, yo.
Schedule Analysis
Overall – They should get off to a good start given that five of their first six games at home. They’ll need to take advantage of that scheduling quirk as four of their final six contests are ON THE HIGHWAY. They’ve only got one nasty game in non-conference play (Notre Dame).
Potential ATS Trouble Spot – Nothing heinous is noted.
Season Win Total
Per BetOnline Aug 5
Over 4.5 -105
Under 4.5 -125
MEGALOCKS says:
Lean: Over
We give them a decent shot of getting to a bowl game.
MEGAmazing Tidbits
Syracuse won their only National Championship back in 1959 thanks in large part to the great RB Ernie Davis who became the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy in 1961.
MEGALOCKS Outlook:
We haven’t been fans of the Dino Babers experience at Syracuse as he’s led them to just one winning season in six years. This roster is definitely capable of getting to a bowl game and pulling a big upset along the way and anything less should be considered another instance of the Orange getting “BABERED”. Let’s go!
Want more Syracuse football ?
WEBSITE
https://cuse.com/sports/football
FORUM
http://syracusefan.com/forums/syracuse-football-board.3/
https://syracuse.forums.rivals.com/forums/cuse-council.12/
NEWS
http://www.nunesmagician.com/syracuse-football
https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/_/id/183/syracuse-orange