Syracuse Orangemen - NCAA Football Odds, Lines & Betting

From 1987 through 2001, the Syracuse Orangemen enjoyed a run of 15 straight winning seasons, the last 11 under head coach Paul Pasqualoni, and went to a dozen bowl games. But then, mediocrity set in, and after going 16-20 from '02-'04, SU dispatched Pasqualoni. Unfortunately, Orange Nation is now regretting this move, because this once-proud program has hit the skids. The 'Cuse went 1-10 in head coach Greg Robinson's first season in 2005, then 4-8 last year, including a 1-6 mark in the Big East. The only conference team they beat was Connecticut, the team that tied the Orange for last place. Syracuse sat at 3-2 after five games last year, but that win over the Huskies was the last one they got.

By season's end, the Orangemen ranked 110th in total offense and 107th in total defense – not a good combination. And this season, Syracuse only returns 10 starters, just four of those on defense. They do return three starting offensive linemen, and a full season from WR Taj Smith, who showed flashes of excitement before going down with a shoulder injury in the fourth game last year, would help. The Orange will have to find a new starting QB, and RB Delone Carter, who led the team in rushing last year, suffered a hip injury in spring practice and is likely out for this season. On defense, the 'Cuse lost its entire starting linebacking corps.

The Orange host Washington, Illinois, West Virginia, Rutgers, South Florida and Cincinnati this season, but that once-fierce, home-field advantage at The Carrier Dome ain't what it used to be. And visits to Iowa, Louisville and Pitt will be tough. Robinson has his hands full at the moment trying to rebuild this program, and if 2007 is another losing season, one has to wonder how long he'll get after that.

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