Syracuse
Syracuse is 4-5 and No. 60 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 1.9 points better than an average FBS team. Last game: lost 18-13 vs Clemson in Week 10.
Week 11: at NC State, Saturday, Nov 14: the matchup, unit by unit
Why Syracuse is No. 60
- Syracuse's rating is 1.9: the machine's estimate that Syracuse is 1.9 points better than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 60 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at −0.8, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it up 2.7.
- The biggest weekly moves: +1.5 after Week 8 (W 31-30 at North Carolina) and +1.0 after Week 6 (L 25-28 at Virginia).
- Its record is 4-5. The 5 losses were to No. 27 Louisville, No. 41 Clemson, No. 45 Pittsburgh, No. 54 Virginia, No. 96 California, by 6.6 points on average. The 4 wins came by 17.0 points on average; the best was over No. 25 SMU. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 51 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 59 West Virginia (1.9); just below is No. 61 Cincinnati (1.5).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
Fran Brown is in his 3rd season at Syracuse (since 2024). This season: 4-5. At Syracuse overall: 17-17, counting this season.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 9 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 200-340 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 2458 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 18-10 |
| Yards per attempt* | 7.2No. 83 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 11.3%No. 49 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 5.8%No. 76 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 370-1412 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 3.8No. 109 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 12.0%No. 109 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 17.2%No. 69 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 29.3No. 60 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 5.49No. 98 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 39.7%No. 77 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 46.5%No. 123 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 12No. 85 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 25.4No. 73 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 5.57No. 75 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 7.4No. 88 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 4.0No. 72 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 7.4%No. 28 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 12No. 59 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 37.9%No. 62 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- Steven Angeli116-211, 1449 yds, 8 TD, 6 INT
- Malachi Nelson42-70, 532 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
- Amari Odom36-47, 391 yds, 6 TD, 2 INT
Rushing
- Tylik Hill101 carries, 538 yds, 2 TD
- Ahmad Miller116 carries, 519 yds, 5 TD
- Ju'Juan Johnson47 carries, 160 yds, 1 TD
Receiving
- Umari Hatcher62 catches, 964 yds, 8 TD
- Daunte Bacheyie28 catches, 415 yds, 5 TD
- Calvin Russell III24 catches, 274 yds, 2 TD
Tackles
- Chris D'Appolonia64
- Chris Peal48
- Antoine Deslauriers46
Sacks
- Keyshawn Johnson7
- Tunmise Adeleye5.5
- Chris D'Appolonia3
Interceptions
- Davien Kerr4
- Rashard Perry1
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- Steven AngeliMost passes in the last game6 games211 attempts62%
- Malachi Nelson3 games70 attempts21%
- Amari Odom3 games47 attempts14%
- Danny Lauter2 games11 attempts3%
Carrying
- Ahmad Miller8 games116 carries36%
- Tylik Hill8 games101 carries32%
- Ju'Juan Johnson7 games47 carries15%
- Shavane Anderson Jr.4 games32 carries10%
Catching
- Umari Hatcher9 games62 catches31%
- Daunte Bacheyie8 games28 catches14%
- Calvin Russell III5 games24 catches12%
- Justus Ross-Simmons6 games16 catches8%
Tackling
- Chris D'Appolonia9 games64 tackles11%
- Chris Peal9 games48 tackles8%
- Antoine Deslauriers8 games46 tackles8%
- Demetres Samuel Jr.9 games39 tackles7%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 W 66–3 vs New Hampshire. New Hampshire is an FCS team, so there is no FBS baseline to grade this one against. Won the turnover battle by 3.
- Week 2 L 18–21 vs California. The run game struggled: 3.3 yards a carry, 2.0 less than California usually allows. Lost the turnover battle by 3.
- Week 3 L 13–27 at Pittsburgh. The run defense gave ground: Pittsburgh got 6.6 yards a carry, 2.6 over what it usually gains. The fewest yards an attempt it has allowed all season.
- Week 5 W 42–41 at UConn. The pass defense gave ground: UConn got 9.9 yards an attempt, 1.8 over what it usually gains. Its most yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 6 L 25–28 at Virginia. The run defense gave ground: Virginia got 4.8 yards a carry, 1.6 over what it usually gains.
- Week 7 L 26–34 vs Louisville. The run defense was the strength: Louisville got 3.3 yards a carry, 3.4 under what it usually gains. The offense gave up 5 sacks.
- Week 8 W 31–30 at North Carolina. The pass defense was the strength: North Carolina got 6.2 yards an attempt, 1.5 under what it usually gains. The machine had North Carolina by 12.9 (79%), so this was a win it did not see coming.
- Week 9 W 30–27 vs SMU. The run defense was the strength: SMU got 2.3 yards a carry, 2.4 under what it usually gains. The machine had SMU by 8.4 (70%), so this was a win it did not see coming; Syracuse won the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 10 L 13–18 vs Clemson. The run defense gave ground: Clemson got 4.8 yards a carry, 1.0 over what it usually gains.