CollegeFootballDigestfrom CooperSearch

2016 Syracuse

4–⁠8 (2–⁠6 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Dino Babers.

Schedule and results

Syracuse in 2016, game by game: won vs. Colgate 33–7; lost vs. No. 13 Louisville 28–62; lost vs. South Florida 20–45; won at UConn 31–24; lost vs. Notre Dame 33–50; lost at Wake Forest 9–28; won vs. No. 17 Virginia Tech 31–17; won at Boston College 28–20; lost at No. 3 Clemson 0–54; lost vs. NC State 20–35; lost vs. No. 17 Florida State 14–45; lost at Pittsburgh 61–76+26−54Won 33–7 vs. Colgate+26ColgateLost 28–62 vs. No. 13 Louisville-34No. 13 LouisvilleLost 20–45 vs. South Florida-25South FloridaWon 31–24 at UConn+7UConnLost 33–50 vs. Notre Dame-17Notre DameLost 9–28 at Wake Forest-19Wake ForestWon 31–17 vs. No. 17 Virginia Tech+14No. 17 Virginia TechWon 28–20 at Boston College+8Boston CollegeLost 0–54 at No. 3 Clemson-54No. 3 ClemsonLost 20–35 vs. NC State-15NC StateLost 14–45 vs. No. 17 Florida State-31No. 17 Florida StateLost 61–76 at Pittsburgh-15Pittsburgh
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below; orange marks an upset win.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 2vsColgateW 33–⁠767%
Sep 9vs13LouisvilleL 28–⁠6236%
Sep 17vsSouth FloridaL 20–⁠4538%
Sep 24atUConnW 31–⁠2433%
Oct 1vsNotre DameL 33–⁠5029%
Oct 8atWake ForestL 9–⁠2834%
Oct 15vs17Virginia TechW 31–⁠1726%
Oct 22atBoston CollegeW 28–⁠2039%
Nov 5at3ClemsonL 0–⁠549%
Nov 12vsNC StateL 20–⁠3550%
Nov 19vs17Florida StateL 14–⁠4523%
Nov 26atPittsburghL 61–⁠7621%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Lost to Pittsburgh 76–⁠61; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 11th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In program history: The 112th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 135 on file).

Record
4–⁠8
Conference
2–⁠6 tied for 11th in Atlantic Coast Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
308–⁠463
Coach
Dino Babers
Elo
1406 −21 this season
SP+ rating
-2.7 No. 79 of 128; offense No. 66, defense No. 84, special teams No. 85
SRS
−5.1 No. 85 of 128 in FBS
Returning
101% of last season’s EPA, No. 3 of 128
Recruiting class
No. 62 roster talent No. 66 in FBS
Offensive coordinators
Sean Lewis and Mike Lynch
Defensive coordinator
Brian Ward
Offense
Veer and shoot
Defense
Multiple

How good, play by play

  • Offense80th of 128
  • Defense119th of 128
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted62nd of 128
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted114th of 128
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.0639%1.2980th of 128
Defense0.2447%1.34119th of 128
Opponent-adjusted0.11 off
0.19 def		43% off
45% def		—62nd off
114th def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense2.3own 3316% allowed
Defense3.7own 3113% caused

CORE rating -7.3, 97th of 128 (offense -1.6, defense 5.7).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsEric Dungey QB2,679 yds
Passing touchdownsEric Dungey QB15 TD
Rushing yardsDontae Strickland RB566 yds
Rushing touchdownsEric Dungey QB6 TD
Receiving yardsAmba Etta-Tawo WR1,482 yds
Receiving touchdownsAmba Etta-Tawo WR14 TD
TacklesParris Bennett LB110 tkl
SacksChris Slayton DL4 sacks
InterceptionsRodney Williams DB2 INT

Top recruits in the 2016 class

Moe Neal ATH★★★No. 592
James Pierre S★★★No. 701
Jaquwan Nelson WDE★★★No. 740
Sam Heckel OT★★★No. 740
Rex Culpepper PRO★★★No. 882

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2016 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks13.00.850
Running backs23.00.839
Receivers22.50.782
Offensive line43.00.837
Defensive line42.80.828
Linebackers33.00.838
Defensive backs43.00.839
Athletes and specialists23.00.855
Whole class222.90.833

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Roster 106

The 2016 roster

106 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2016 line; 59 have a stat line. See the roster

2016 Atlantic Coast Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Clemson7–⁠114–⁠11
Louisville7–⁠19–⁠421
Virginia Tech6–⁠210–⁠416
Florida State5–⁠310–⁠38
Miami5–⁠39–⁠420
North Carolina5–⁠38–⁠5
Pittsburgh5–⁠38–⁠5
Georgia Tech4–⁠49–⁠4
Wake Forest3–⁠57–⁠6
NC State3–⁠57–⁠6
Boston College2–⁠67–⁠6
Syracuse2–⁠64–⁠8
Duke1–⁠74–⁠8
Virginia1–⁠72–⁠10

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.