3 Syracuse opponents crack preseason Top 25, 2 others receive votes
Syracuse didn’t receive any votes for the USA Today preseason coaches poll that was released Thursday, but five of its 2014 opponents did.
That short list includes No. 1 Florida State, No. 16 Clemson and No. 17 Notre Dame as well as Duke and Louisville, both of which received votes but didn’t crack the Top 25.
The Amway Coaches Poll, which is conducted weekly during the season, is comprised of randomly selected FBS head coaches. The coaches are chosen from both conference-affiliated and independent schools upon deciding to participate, and they rank the teams No. 1-25.
The Seminoles, who the Orange will host in the Carrier Dome on Oct. 11, collected 56 of the poll’s 62 first-place votes. FSU was followed by Alabama, Oklahoma, Oregon and Auburn, respectively, to round out the top five.
The Orange will play Notre Dame at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 27 and travel to Clemson to face the Tigers on Oct. 25
Duke received the 35th-most votes with 41 and Louisville got the 36th-most with 32. SU hosts Louisville on Oct. 3 and Duke on Nov. 8.
In all, seven Atlantic Coast Conference teams received votes, with North Carolina joining FSU and Clemson in the Top 25 at No. 23.
Published on July 31, 2014 at 1:12 pm
Contact Jesse: jcdoug01@syr.edu | @dougherty_jesse