10 teams who could make their first College Football Playoff in 2019

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 08: The College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy during the College Football Playoff National Championship Game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs on January 8, 2018 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. (Photo by David Rosenblum/IconSportswire) /

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NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 17: Head coach Dino Babers of the Syracuse Orange stands on the sidelines against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during their game at Yankee Stadium on November 17, 2018 in New York, New York. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) /

6. Syracuse

The Syracuse Orange are ranked in the late teens and 20’s in most post-spring rankings, so it’s an uphill battle to make the College Football Playoff, especially with Clemson in their conference.

But, Syracuse has played the reigning national champions as tough as anyone not named Alabama in recent seasons. Last season, Syracuse went into halftime with a 16-7 lead on the road against the eventual National Champions. They went into the fourth quarter with the lead. Then, Clemson did Clemson things and came out with a 27-23 win.

This season, they play Clemson at home in September. They could catch Clemson by surprise while they are still trying to replace some of their best players, especially on the defensive line where multiple players left to go play in the NFL.

New quarterback Tommy DeVito looked really good in the spring game.

Syracuse is still a long shot, but with a great quarterback with very little tape to scout, a coach that has the program going in the right direction, and an early-season matchup to build confidence through the rest of the season, Syracuse could be one of the biggest surprises this decade.

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