Syracuse was 3-9 last year overall and 1-6 in the Big East. Their only victory came against Louisville for the second straight year. The Orange will be much more competitive and will have the oppurtunity for some big upsets this year. Do not expect Marrone to let this team roll over and die.
The 'Cuse starts out their 2009 campaign with a Carrier Dome matchup with the Big Ten's Minnesota Golden Gophers. Minnesota is an extremely young team. The Orange aren't very experienced either. I'd have to go with Minnesota in this game. Syracuse simply does not have the talent to compete with Minnesota. It'll be interesting to see what Coach Marrone does with Paulus. If he uses him in trick situations or if he's the straight up starter. This puts Syracuse at 0-1 and headed to Happy Valley.
Penn State is trying for their first ever back to back Big Ten titles since they joined the conference. While a loss to Syracuse would have to no effect on this goal, PSU will not slip over the Orange. Despite my hatred for the team from State College, they will handedly beat a rebuilding Orange team and put Doug Marrone in an 0-2 hole.
Syracuse returns home for a six game stint starting with Northwestern. This is their final Big Ten opponent and I do believe that Syracuse will pick up this win. Northwestern had a 9-4 season last year with a tough OT loss to Mizzou in the Alamo Bowl. Northwestern will be suffering from an inexperienced line. I don't believe games against Towson and Eastern Michigan will be enought to get them prepared for a BCS team. The Orange will be 1-2 heading into a gimme game against Maine.
The Orange will beat FCS opponent Maine. The talent level between these two teams is extremely drastic. This is their only FCS opponent so they will still be bowl eligible at six wins. The Orange are .500 through four games and are set to begin conference play against USF.
USF rolls into town the first weekend of October. USF is one of the teams that could potentially take the Big East this year. They have a senior leader at quarterback in Grothe, and a defensive stud in Selvie. Both of these players will be in the NFL next year and should have good senior years. USF will defeat Syracuse and put the 'Cuse at 2-3.
Another week, another game as WVU comes to Northern New York to play the Orange. WVU, despite losing the face of their program in Pat White, will not have trouble with the Orange. WVU is a very talented team trying to prove they can be successful without White. Syracuse will fall to 2-4, but they do get to see Akron next week.
Akron is an average MAC team. They will give Syracuse a game but in the end the 'Cuse will be too much for the Zips. With this win, Syracuse matches their 2008 win total of three, but that fourth win seems tough to get.
Defending conference champion, Cincinnati, will end the six game home stand for Syracuse. Cincinnati looking to keep their conference title cannot afford to slip up against Syracuse. Cincy's offense will be way too powerful for Syracuse to contain, and by this time in the season, the Bearcats defense will be gelling quite well and they will handle Syracuse. The Orange will be 3-5 with four games left. Three of those games are on the road.
The Orange will face their first road conference test against Pitt at Heinz Field. Both teams are coming in on a two week bye so I don't believe Syracuse will be able to utilize that as an advantage. Pitt is yet another Big East team looking for that BCS bid. The Panthers just like Cincy cannot afford to fall to the Orange. The Orange will be looking for a big win. They know they can possibly beat Louisville and UConn so they will be looking for a monumental win. I don't believe the Panthers will grant them this. Expect a low scoring game due to Pitt's talented D but inept offense. Syracuse is 3-6 with three games left.
Syracuse will remain bowl eligible by defeating Louisville in Louisville. The Orange have had recent success against Louisville and will be looking to do it for a third straight year. I think Marrone will get his team excited for this game and they will win. The 'Cuse will move to 4-6 and need to defeat Rutgers and UConn to go .500 and be bowl eligible.
Marrone would love to have Rutgers just one week later. He would have had an easier time with Connecticut and I believe he could get his team fired up for a big time game at home for .500. Too bad the schedule can't change. The Orange will be excited for this one, especially on senior day. All of the emotional factors will not overcome Rutgers offense. Their line is considered one of the best in the nation. Coach Marrone and Greg Paulus' improbable run at a bowl will be put to rest by Rutgers. Marrone's crew will drop to 4-7.
November 28 will be a cold day in Connecticut. UConn will be holding their senior day festivities and will be looking for a win against the Orange. Syracuse will not hang their heads. UConn is a very intriguing team. I don't see them as a threat for the conference, but few others project them finishing high. The loss of Donald Brown will hurt them especially when they could use a talented ground game in late November. Syracuse will defeat them and finish their 2009 campaign at 5-7 (2-6 conference).
Syracuse has improved their season by two wins. I believe they will be all around more competitive this year under a new regime. Their 5-7 record leaves room for improvement. It should also give Marrone some leverage in recruiting, by showing his improvement.
Thank you for reading. Be sure to check back in two days for Louisville's season breakdown. Please patronize the ads on the right of the blog to help keep my blog up and running.
Keywords: Akron, Big East Football, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Louisville, Maine, Marrone, Minnesota, NCAA Football, Northwestern, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, South Florida, Syracuse, West Virginia
