Syracuse Football Predictions

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Syracuse enters 2012 looking to bounce back from a terrible collapse. It got off to a promising 5-2 start but lost its final five games to finish 5-7 overall and 1-6 in conference play. The collapse was especially disappointing because it followed a 49-23 thrashing of then-No. 11 West Virginia.

While coach Doug Marrone wanted to deliver a second straight bowl berth, he shouldn’t lose too much sleep considering he has led the Orange to their two best records in the past seven seasons.

Offense

In order to have any chance at contending for a Big East title, the Orange will need a spectacular season from senior signal caller Ryan Nassib. That means he’s going to have to do better than he did as a junior when he passed for a school-record 2,685 yards with 22 touchdown strikes and nine interceptions. It will be difficult, to say the least, for Nassib to improve on last year’s numbers considering all the losses at the other skill positions.

Starting running back Antwon Bailey, who rushed for 1,051 yards and six touchdowns in 2011, is one of the weapons that must be replaced. Sophomore Adonis Ameen-Moore, a 250-pound bruiser, is the guy the Orange are counting on to fill Bailey’s shoes.

The Orange must also replace three of the top four receivers from last year’s squad, including tight end Nick Provo, who caught 51 passes for 537 yards and seven touchdowns. The receiving unit was dealt a bad hand when Alec Lemon, who hauled in 68 passes for 834 yards and six scores in 2011, suffered a shoulder injury. It will be interesting to see how that injury affects Syracuse’s top receiving threat.

The right side of the offensive line is gone, but there’s still plenty to like up front, especially 1st-Team All-Big East left tackle Justin Pugh.

Defense

The stop unit finished dead last in the Big East in both total and scoring defense in 2011 with 386.4 yards and 28.5 points allowed per game. It may be too much to ask for this unit to show major improvement after losing defensive end Chandler Jones and free safety Phillip Thomas.

Jones, a 1st-Team All-Big East performer, isn’t the only loss that will be felt up front. The Orange also lose the services starting defensive end Mikhail Marinovich.

The linebacker unit is the strength of the defense with all three starters returning. Strong-side linebacker Dan Vaughan is the team’s top returning tackler (72 stops), but middle linebacker Marquis Spruill (2nd Team All-Big East) and weak-side linebacker Dyshawn Davis are more talented. Spruill found his way onto the All-Big East 2nd-Team in 2011 and Davis earned 1st-Team Freshman All-American status.

The loss of Thomas, who had a team-high 82 tackles and six interceptions last season, will certainly be felt in the secondary. Strong safety Shamarko Thomas is a player, but the rest of the unit is largely unproven.

Big East Prediction: 7th Place

Nassib is a solid quarterback, but I fear he lost too much around him for the offense to reach new heights. A defense that lost its two best players doesn’t figure to show much, if any, improvement either. On top of that, the schedule is a bear. Syracuse has non-conference dates with Northwestern, Minnesota, USC and Missouri. It also gets the short end of the stick with just three home games in Big East play. And, two of those are against contenders Pitt and Louisville.

We can’t forget that two of last season’s wins came in overtime and another came by only three points. In other words, last season’s record could have looked a lot worse. If Marrone can find a way to get this team to .500, it would have to be considered a great accomplishment.

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About the Author: Jimmy Boyd is known for his consistency. He's a proven winner in college and pro football, college and pro basketball and pro baseball. He finished as the No. 1 ranked MLB handicapper in 2007 by earning $1,000/game bettors $50,050. He also finished as the No. 1 ranked basketball handicapper in the 2008-09 season, profiting $1,000/game bettors 38,530. His basketball plays have banked $1,000/game bettors nearly $80,000 the last five years. Check out Jimmy's premium picks for tonight!
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