Syracuse had an abysmal 3-9 record last season. Their highlight was a surprise victory at Notre Dame 24-23. With Doug Marrone stepping in as head coach, he is making an immediate change with the team’s schedule. As of past, the Orange have scheduled some very difficult teams and their record is reflecting the consequence. This season, they open up with the Big 10 against Minnesota, at Penn State, then Northwestern. Probably not the best scheduling decision by athletic director Rob Edson.
To resolve future scheduling concerns, ‘Cuse just announced they are backing out of a planned home-and-home series against Virginia Tech (2010- at the Carrier Dome and 2011 at Blacksburg). VaTech was a former Big East member and probably would have enjoyed thumping the Orange who now is scheduling Boise State as a replacement. Syracuse has not released its replacement team at this time. The ‘Cuse’s 2010 out of conference schedule will still be a challenge as they travel to Washington and play Boston College at home. Furthermore, in 2011, they play USC and Wake Forest out of conference.
You have to admire Cuse’s aggressive scheduling, but the team does not have the depth nor the talent, at this point, to compete week-in and week-out against top programs. It’s probably a humbling experience for the coaching staff, but a good move to get the program back on track.
