Ranking the Top 131 College Football Programs of the Last 40 Years: 39. Syracuse
One of many orange teams to come
Syracuse is one of those programs that people don’t think much of anymore, but have a strong foothold in college football history. Hell, in sports history. Just look at the Syracuse alumni in broadcasting: Bob Costas, Mike Tirico, Sean McDonough, Marv Albert, Beth Mowins, Nick Wright, Dave Pasch, Andrew Siciliano…and plenty more. They have some of the most famous NFL alumni in history with players like Jim Brown, John Mackey, Art Monk, Dwight Freeney, Larry Csonka…and a Heisman winner in RB Ernie Davis (1961). While the northeast, or more specifically New York, doesn’t seem to care much about college football, I’d qualify Syracuse as a sleeping giant because of their history and location.
Best Seasons and Highlights
+------+----------+------+--------------+--------+
| rank | team | year | resume score | record |
+------+----------+------+--------------+--------+
| 5 | Syracuse | 1987 | 39.579 | 11-0-1 |
| 7 | Syracuse | 1992 | 32.927 | 10-2 |
| 12 | Syracuse | 1991 | 30.271 | 10-2 |
| 12 | Syracuse | 1996 | 26.619 | 9-3 |
| 13 | Syracuse | 2001 | 23.924 | 10-3 |
| 17 | Syracuse | 2018 | 23.885 | 10-3 |
| 16 | Syracuse | 1988 | 23.478 | 10-2 |
| 17 | Syracuse | 1998 | 21.44 | 8-4 |
| 21 | Syracuse | 1995 | 18.604 | 9-3 |
| 19 | Syracuse | 1997 | 17.01 | 9-4 |
| 28 | Syracuse | 1990 | 9.738 | 7-4-2 |
| 36 | Syracuse | 1984 | 6.488 | 6-5 |
| 43 | Syracuse | 2012 | 4.858 | 8-5 |
| 37 | Syracuse | 1989 | 3.957 | 8-4 |
| 37 | Syracuse | 1994 | 2.303 | 7-4 |
| 34 | Syracuse | 1993 | 1.808 | 6-4-1 |
| 46 | Syracuse | 2022 | 1.663 | 7-6 |
| 46 | Syracuse | 2010 | 0.833 | 8-5 |
| 43 | Syracuse | 1983 | 0.319 | 6-5 |
| 42 | Syracuse | 2000 | -0.811 | 6-5 |
| 41 | Syracuse | 1985 | -1.96 | 7-5 |
| 44 | Syracuse | 1999 | -2.428 | 7-5 |
| 62 | Syracuse | 2013 | -5.477 | 7-6 |
| 48 | Syracuse | 2004 | -5.986 | 6-6 |
| 58 | Syracuse | 2003 | -6.727 | 6-6 |
| 52 | Syracuse | 1986 | -8.389 | 5-6 |
| 73 | Syracuse | 2011 | -13.004 | 5-7 |
| 79 | Syracuse | 2021 | -14.783 | 5-7 |
| 83 | Syracuse | 2019 | -17.802 | 5-7 |
| 78 | Syracuse | 2009 | -18.454 | 4-8 |
| 86 | Syracuse | 2017 | -19.13 | 4-8 |
| 74 | Syracuse | 2002 | -24.031 | 4-8 |
| 80 | Syracuse | 2006 | -24.616 | 4-8 |
| 93 | Syracuse | 2016 | -24.858 | 4-8 |
| 90 | Syracuse | 2015 | -26.104 | 4-8 |
| 99 | Syracuse | 2008 | -33.048 | 3-9 |
| 103 | Syracuse | 2014 | -34.004 | 3-9 |
| 106 | Syracuse | 2007 | -43.972 | 2-10 |
| 125 | Syracuse | 2020 | -50.386 | 1-10 |
| 110 | Syracuse | 2005 | -50.991 | 1-10 |
+------+----------+------+--------------+--------+
Overall Score: 23775 (39th)252-224-4 record
5 conference titles
13-5-1 bowl record
7 consensus All-Americans
94 NFL players drafted
There’s lots to talk about with Syracuse, but I’m going to focus on their alumni since there’s so many good ones. Syracuse players from the last 40 years include WR Marvin Harrison, QB Donovan McNabb, DE Chandler Jones, LB Keith Bulluck, and K Gary Anderson. Go back even further and you get NFL Hall of Famers RB Jim Brown, TE John Mackey, FB Larry Csonka, WR Art Monk, owner Al Davis, and more. The consensus All-Americans we won’t discuss below are DL Tim Green (1985) who was the 17th overall pick in his NFL Draft, OL John Flannery (1990), and K Andre Szmyt (2018) who won the Lou Groza Award as a freshman, hitting 30 of 34 field goals. Cuse has only played in a conference since 1991 (32 years), so 5 conference titles is even better than it looks. And let’s talk about bowls for a second, 13-5-1? Claps for you, Syracuse.
Top 5 Seasons
Worst Season: 2005 (1-10 overall, 0-7 Big East)
This is why vacated wins are important. If I didn’t count them, Syracuse would’ve been 0-10 and it would’ve made a big difference in their rating. All jokes aside, congrats Syracuse on beating Buffalo in 2005 to avoid a reverse unbeaten season. 2005 was a year of transition, from 14 year head coach Paul Pasqualoni to new hire Greg Robinson, and from more of an option offense to pro style. QB Perry Patterson struggled, completing just 48% of throws for 1504 yards 6 TD 11 INT with negative rushing yards. To be fair to Cuse, they did play a pretty tough schedule, losing to 4 AP Top 25 teams and West Virginia, who finished the year #5. The offense was bottom 5 in the country with just 13.8 PPG but the defense still managed to only give up 26.8 PPG. Greg Robinson finished his career as the worst coach in school history, going just 10-37 (5-37 if you take away his vacated wins) with a 3-25 Big East record (2-25 without vacated wins). At least he beat Notre Dame in 2008.
5. 2001 (10-3 overall, 6-1 Big East)
2001 Cuse started just 1-2, with losses to top 10 Georgia Tech and Tennessee teams. They returned home on September 22nd after the September 11th attacks, in front of a Carrier Dome crowd of 43,000. Cuse played their butts off, winning 31-14 with a big performance from DE Dwight Freeney against Auburn freshman QB Jason Campbell. They kept winning, setting up a matchup of 6-2 Syracuse at #5 Virginia Tech, where Syracuse got one of their biggest wins of the decades, upsetting the Hokies 22-14. Future New York Giants hero David Tyree blocked a punt, Freeney caused a safety, and Syracuse held Tech to just 152 yards of total offense. They’d finish the regular season 9-3 with a win over #25 Boston College and admittedly embarrassing 0-59 loss to #1 Miami (FL), but beat Kansas State 26-3 in the Insight.com Bowl, taking revenge for their 1997 Fiesta Bowl loss to the Cats. Freeney was a consensus All-American, winning multiple awards and finishing 9th in Heisman voting with 2 first place votes.
4. 1996 (9-3 overall, 6-1 Big East)
Like 2001, it was an 0-2 start, only this time they were #9 preseason to start and fell all the way out of the Top 25. Syracuse was down—Big East teams had their shot at them, and they should’ve taken it, as Cuse would win the next 3 Big East titles. Led by none other than QB Donovan McNabb, Syracuse won 9 straight to clinch at least a share of the Big East title, beating #18 Virginia Tech 52-21, #18 West Virginia 30-7, and #22 Army 42-17 along the way. A loss to #23 Miami (FL) in the final week caused them to miss their shot at an outright title, but they still shared it with Miami and Virginia Tech. The season was capped with a win over Houston in the Liberty Bowl. Cuse only finished #21 in the Top 25, but I had them all the way up at #12 for their quality wins. McNabb was 1st Team All-Big East for the 2nd straight year, throwing for 1776 (eagle noise) yards 19 TD 9 INT to go with 458 rushing yards. The defense gave up just 17.3 PPG with future 1st round LB Keith Bulluck, 3rd Team All-American LB Antwaune Ponds, and All-American DB Kevin Abrams. Syracuse would go on to win the Big East title for two more straight years, for 1996-98 total.
3. 1991 (10-2 overall, 5-0 Big East)
Paul Pasqualoni’s first year. After a 2-0 start, Kirby Dar Dar returned the opening kickoff against #5 Florida 95 yards for a TD. Dar Dar would be the figurehead of the Kirby Kirby Dar Dar Fan Fan Club Club started by Syracuse fans. Cuse went on to win 38-21 at the Carrier Dome, after which Florida coach Steve Spurrier was quoted as saying “From the opening kickoff to the last play they were the better team.” After a 4-0 start, Syracuse fell to 4-2, going from #10 to #24, but wouldn’t look back afterwards. A win at #20 Pittsburgh was their toughest test for the remainder of the regular season, finishing 9-2 and first place in the Big East (but the conference didn’t start crowning a champion until 1993). In the Hall of Fame Bowl vs Ohio State, Syracuse scored a 60 yard TD to take a 24-17 lead halfway through the 4th quarter, and hung on to win by the same score, finishing the year #11. WR Qadry Ismail was a 3rd Team All-American at the all-purpose position, rushing for 216 yards, receiving for 693 yards, and averaging 25 yards per kick return with a TD. And this team wasn’t done yet—key returners would come back for 1992 to have an even better year.
2. 1992 (10-2 overall, 6-1 Big East)
This time Syracuse would stay in the top 15 for most of the season. A 9-1 start included wins over Texas, 7-4 Rutgers, #24 West Virginia, and #17 Boston College. That set up #8 Syracuse hosting #1 Miami (FL) in the most memorable game of the season. Miami held a 16-10 lead with just 45 seconds left, but Syracuse was on Miami’s 22 yard line. But a five yard completion and two sacks would push Syracuse back to the 30, and with just seconds left, QB Marvin Graves fired a pass toward the end zone…CAUGHT, short of the goal line by TE Chris Gedney, who was immediately tackled at the 3 yard line. Miami wins, 16-10. So close. Graves had been in the game despite vomiting on the final drive, and Miami players admired his tenacity. Even despite the loss, Syracuse moved up 2 spots in the polls to #6, and made the Fiesta Bowl. Against Kordell Stewart and #10 Colorado, Syracuse won 26-22 to finish #6 in the polls. Gedney was a consensus All-American, catching 34 passes for 587 yards and 5 TD. Graves was a 2nd Team All-American, throwing for 2296 yards 14 TD 12 INT and rushing for 5 TD, also leading the NCAA in passing yards per attempt at 9.5. DT Kevin Mitchell was a 2nd Team All-American.
1. 1987 (11-0-1 overall, Independent)
Damn, I had no idea Syracuse had a team this good. Led by College Football Hall of Fame coach Dick MacPherson, he and QB Don McPherson (no relation) would lead Syracuse to their most magical season since the national title-winning 1959 season. A 5-0 start was met with raised eyebrows due to “quality” opponents like Miami (OH) and 2-9 Virginia Tech. #10 Penn State coming to town was the perfect test, as the Orange hadn’t beaten them in 17 years, and the Nittany Lions were the defending national champions. Syracuse pantsed them, winning 48-17. The rest of the schedule would be a cakewalk comparatively, but there were a few quality wins like 24-10 over 8-4 Pittsburgh and West Virginia. In the final regular season game, Syracuse was down 24-31 with 1:30 to go against WVU, needing to go 74 yards for the tie (or win). In one of the most exciting finishes in Orange history, Syracuse scored a 17 yard TD with just 10 seconds left to make it 30-31, and had the balls to go for 2, winning 32-31. Because of their weak(er) strength of schedule, #4 11-0 Syracuse was a heavy underdog to #6 Auburn in the Sugar Bowl, but they’d show up with a 16-16 tie as the final. They finished the season #4 in the AP Poll, and #5 in my rankings. With a win, they could’ve had a claim at a national title, but I doubt they would’ve finished #1 over 12-0 Miami (FL).
McPherson and MacPherson won pretty much every award you can think of. QB Don McPherson threw for 2341 yards 22 TD 11 INT, earning consensus All-Americans honors and winning the Davey O’Brien, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm, Maxwell, and Sammy Baugh Awards, and finished 2nd in Heisman voting to Notre Dame WR Tim Brown. Dick MacPherson won the Bobby Dodd, Eddie Robinson, Paul Bear Bryant, and Walter Camp Coach of the Year Awards. DL Ted Gregory was also a consensus All-American, and a 1st round pick in the 1988 NFL Draft.
1987 Syracuse is my 183rd best team since 1983.
5th Quarter
Does Syracuse deserve a national title if they beat Auburn in 1987? What do you think about Syracuse’s ranking on this list at #39? Are you surprised to see them this high, do they deserve to be this high? Why has Syracuse had so many famous alumni but a lack of success in the 2000s? Which team is up next on the list?
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