5 Dark Horse Teams that Could be the Next Colorado in 2017
By Zach Bigalke
The last dark horse candidate that could surprise in the Power Five next year is Syracuse, which entered November with a 4-4 record and a decisive two-touchdown upset of eventual ACC Coastal champion Virginia Tech. Then the Orange dropped their last four games after starting quarterback Eric Dungey suffered a shoulder injury against Clemson that ended his season prematurely for a second straight year. With Dungey’s injury not career-threatening, though, there is plenty of reason to expect another leap forward in head coach Dino Babers’ second season at the school.
A road game against LSU is the jewel on the non-conference schedule, and a win in Baton Rouge could give the Orange a serious bump in the Top 25 if they pull off that upset. A defense that featured 15 freshmen or sophomores among its two-deep should improve on its uneven effort this season. Syracuse will have a hard time fending off ACC Atlantic heavyweights Clemson, Florida State, and Louisville, but a team that will be drastically more experienced throughout its depth chart in 2017 could give the favorites in the division fits. If things break right they could emerge as a dark horse in the Atlantic, thanks to the return of dual-threat Dungey and a maturing defense.