Defensive back Duce Chestnut (0) is greeted by fans before the spring game on April 20. Syracuse is projected to finish in the bottom half of the ACC this season by Phil Steele. (Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com)dnett@syracuse.com
Syracuse, N.Y. — As college football season creeps closer, the preseason projections, predictions and picks continue to pop up.
In his annual college football preview magazine, analyst Phil Steele projects Syracuse football to finish 12th out of 17 teams in the ACC this season.
Syracuse will be under the guidance of first-year head coach Fran Brown and an almost entirely new staff. It adds new talent in quarterback Kyle McCord and edge rusher Fadil Diggs and returns stars from the past few seasons like tight end Oronde Gadsden II, linebacker Marlowe Wax and safety Justin Barron.
“There usually is a learning curve with first year head coaches as they learn the players and the players (get) used to new systems, but they are clearly in the mix of reaching a 3rd straight bowl game,” Steele wrote in his forecast for the Orange’s 2024 season.
While the Orange avoids historical heavyweights Clemson, Florida State and North Carolina — all of which have given it trouble in recent seasons — it does face potential dark horse candidates in the conference this year, Virginia Tech and N.C. State.
Steele projected the Orange to finish 10th in 2023, which ended up being ex-head coach Dino Babers’ final season. It actually finished 11th in the conference after injuries to a handful of critical players, including quarterback Garrett Shrader, limited offensive production.
Three teams are in the running for top of the ACC this year per Steele’s forecast: Clemson, Florida State and Miami.
Of Clemson, which finished .500 in conference last season but 9-4 overall and returns much of its roster, Steele wrote: “I view their lack of using the portal as a sign they have solid talent and maybe the best team unity in the country.”
First place isn’t the only spot in the ranking with ties, though. Steele also has four teams tied in fourth place, three tied in 12th (Wake Forest and Boston College alongside SU) and two tied in 16th.
It indicates that, to some degree, the conference is wide open this season and is a reminder of the importance of conference wins over nonconference ones.
Here’s Steele’s full projected order of finish for the ACC:
T1. Clemson
T1. Florida State
T1. Miami
T4. SMU
T4. Virginia Tech
T4. Louisville
T4. N.C. State
8. North Carolina
9. California
10. Georgia Tech
11. Pitt
T12. Syracuse
T12. Wake Forest
T12. Boston College
15. Virginia
T16. Stanford
T16. Duke
Contact Emily Leiker anytime: Email | Twitter
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