ACC Football: Biggest offseason question for every team
By John Buhler
Syracuse Orange: Will Dino Babers leave his mark in year two?
After reaching a bowl in 2013, Scott Shafer failed to win more than four games in his final two years with the program. He was replaced by former Eastern Illinois and Bowling Green head coach Dino Babers.
Babers came to Syracuse with a great deal of energy and praise from his two previous coaching stops. However, his Orange only went 4-8 (2-6) in his first year in the ACC. While Syracuse had a big win in ACC play against Virginia Tech, their only other conference win in 2016 came against Boston College.
In short, Babers may not have to get Syracuse to a bowl in 2017, but he absolutely would need to in year three in 2018. Fortunately for the Syracuse football program, Babers led his teams to double-digit win seasons in his second year on the job. However, he would leave for a bigger job after year two.
Does this mean Babers goes to a traditional power after winning 10 games with the 2017 Orange? Wouldn’t that be something. Let’s be real. Babers won’t bounce on Syracuse that easily, as it’s a Power 5 job and a very difficult place to win in college football.
Though he may not have the talent to contend for a division crown in the ACC Atlantic, a 6-6 record and getting to a bowl would be a huge step in the right direction for Babers’ football team. On the road at LSU is not a winnable road game in the non-conference, so Syracuse will have to grab three wins in ACC play to reach a bowl. Boston College and Wake Forest are must-win games. Syracuse needs to steal one more ACC game along the way to attain bowl eligibility.