Syracuse Football: Dino Babers deserves more respect for job he’s done

Syracuse football was in the gutter before Dino Babers got to town, but he’s turned the program into a contender in just a few years.

Before Dino Babers got to Syracuse, the Orange had suffered through two straight bowl-less seasons under Scott Shafer, going just 7-17 in that time.

The Orange had made just five bowl games since the turn of the century and won 10 games just one time all the way back in 2001 which also happened to be the last time Syracuse cracked the AP Top 25.

In 15 years, Syracuse made a bowl game just one-third of the five and made the Top 25 just one time, so there was no way a relatively unknown head coach from Bowling Green would be able to turn things around, right?

Just three years later and the Orange are coming off their first 10-win season in over a decade and finished the 2018 campaign ranked No. 15. For the second straight year, the Orange gave Clemson a run for its money. The Tigers were upset by the 4-8 Orange back in 2017 in the Carrier Dome and nearly suffered the same fate at home, needing a comeback to top Syracuse.

Clemson went on to win the national title, but Syracuse put up one of the biggest fights of any opponent the Tigers faced.

Babers was the reason for this. He turned the Orange around in just a few years.

There are certain programs that would take borderline miracles to turn around, and Syracuse was one of them — although they had experienced success from about 1987-2000. They were in the cellar of the ACC after being in the Big East’s basement, but everything has changed.

No one is giving Babers enough credit for this turnaround, though. He’s brought a mediocre program back from the brink and some experts even have Syracuse as a threat to Clemson in the ACC race this season.

A few years ago, no one could have expected this outcome after the Babers hire, but Syracuse is no longer just a basketball school, and he’s to thank for that.