2020 Syracuse
1–10 (1–9 Atlantic Coast Conference), coached by Dino Babers. Share
Schedule and results
- Biggest winBeat Georgia Tech 37–20Sep 26
By 17 points, its widest win.
- Most excitingLost to NC State 29–36Nov 28
The win probability swung the most, by CollegeFootballData.com’s excitement index.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Elo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 12 | at North Carolina | L 6–31 | 39% |
| Sep 19 | at 25Pittsburgh | L 10–21 | 34% |
| Sep 26 | vs Georgia Tech | W 37–20 | 62% |
| Oct 10 | vs Duke | L 24–38 | 67% |
| Oct 17 | vs Liberty | L 21–38 | 46% |
| Oct 24 | at 1Clemson | L 21–47 | 8% |
| Oct 31 | vs Wake Forest | L 14–38 | 40% |
| Nov 7 | vs Boston College | L 13–16 | 39% |
| Nov 20 | at Louisville | L 0–30 | 33% |
| Nov 28 | vs NC State | L 29–36 | 38% |
| Dec 5 | at 2Notre Dame | L 21–45 | 5% |
Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.
How it ended: Lost to Notre Dame 45–21; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 14th in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
In program history: The 129th-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 135 on file).
- Record
- 1–10
- Conference
- 1–9 tied for 14th in Atlantic Coast Conference
- AP final
- Unranked
- Points
- 196–360
- Coach
- Dino Babers
- Elo
- 1353 −163 this season
- SP+ rating
- -9.8 No. 106 of 130; offense No. 114, defense No. 82
- Returning
- 55% of last season’s EPA, No. 84 of 130
- Recruiting class
- No. 59 roster talent No. 65 in FBS
- Offensive coordinator
- Sterlin Gilbert
- Defensive coordinator
- Tony White
- Offense
- Veer and shoot
- Defense
- 3–3–5
How good, play by play
| EPA per play | Success | Explosiveness | FBS rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | -0.12 | 32% | 1.25 | 124th of 127 |
| Defense | 0.13 | 44% | 1.24 | 67th of 127 |
| Opponent-adjusted | -0.05 off 0.11 def | 35% off 43% def | — | 130th off 64th 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 40 | Average start | Havoc | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | 2.4 | own 29 | 22% allowed |
| Defense | 3.3 | own 30 | 16% caused |
CORE rating -24.3, 124th of 127 (offense -22.5, defense 1.8).
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 yards | Rex Culpepper QB | 1,028 yds |
| Passing touchdowns | Rex Culpepper QB | 9 TD |
| Rushing yards | Sean Tucker RB | 638 yds |
| Rushing touchdowns | Sean Tucker RB | 4 TD |
| Receiving yards | Taj Harris WR | 733 yds |
| Receiving touchdowns | Taj Harris WR | 5 TD |
| Tackles | Mikel Jones LB | 68 tkl |
| Sacks | Geoff Cantin-Arku LB | 4 sacks |
| Interceptions | Mikel Jones LB | 4 INT |
Top recruits in the 2020 class
| Latarie Kinsler WDE | ★★★ | No. 659 |
| Rob Hanna S | ★★★ | No. 745 |
| Damien Alford WR | ★★★ | No. 765 |
| Steven Mahar Jr. TE | ★★★ | No. 836 |
| Sean Tucker RB | ★★★ | No. 855 |
247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.
The 2020 class by position
| Signed | Stars | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarterbacks | 3 | 2.7 | 0.813 |
| Running backs | 2 | 3.0 | 0.856 |
| Receivers | 4 | 3.0 | 0.845 |
| Offensive line | 1 | 3.0 | 0.859 |
| Defensive line | 4 | 3.0 | 0.848 |
| Linebackers | 3 | 3.0 | 0.844 |
| Defensive backs | 3 | 3.0 | 0.853 |
| Athletes and specialists | 4 | 3.0 | 0.839 |
| Whole class | 24 | 3.0 | 0.843 |
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.
Drafted in 2021
The 2021 draft| Rd 3 | Andre Cisco S | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| Rd 3 | Ifeatu Melifonwu CB | Detroit Lions |
Roster 114
The 2020 roster114 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2020 line; 57 have a stat line. See the roster
2020 Atlantic Coast Conference standings
Conference page| Team | Conf. | Overall | AP final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame | 9–0 | 10–2 | 5 |
| Clemson | 8–1 | 10–2 | 3 |
 Miami | 7–2 | 8–3 | 22 |
| North Carolina | 7–3 | 8–4 | 18 |
| NC State | 7–3 | 8–4 | |
| Pittsburgh | 5–5 | 6–5 | |
| Boston College | 5–5 | 6–5 | |
 Virginia Tech | 5–5 | 5–6 | |
 Virginia | 4–5 | 5–5 | |
| Wake Forest | 3–4 | 4–5 | |
| Georgia Tech | 3–6 | 3–7 | |
| Louisville | 3–7 | 4–7 | |
 Florida State | 2–6 | 3–6 | |
| Duke | 1–9 | 2–9 | |
 Syracuse | 1–9 | 1–10 |
Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.