Syracuse is riding high after its 29-3 thrashing of the mighty Akron Zips on Saturday, and the Orange face their toughest non-conference foe of the year this week. But fear not, 'Cuse fans; the Huskies may actually be more bark than bite (yeah, I went there).
1. Washington was 5-7 last year
That's right, 5-7. Just one win better than your Syracuse Orange. Honestly, with all the hype surrounding these guys, and Jake Locker, you'd think they're a perennial bowl team. In fact, they haven't been to a bowl game since 2002, and haven't won one since the 2000 season. Let's all just relax a little bit.
2. Jake Locker has a lot of hype behind him
You've heard of Jacke Locker. Washington just unveiled a campaign to boost Locker's Heisman chances this season. I'm not saying he doesn't deserve it, but how many quarterbacks have actually lived up to the preseason hype and gone on to win the Heisman. That's a lot of pressure on a young QB to carry a previously 5-7 team (see above) to new heights.
3. Where's the defense?
Last I checked, Locker isn't making any tackles unless he throws a pick. Washington played much tougher competition last week than SU (a loss at BYU), but the Huskies gave up 408 yards of total offense. Washington gave up 389.5 yards per game last season. SU held Akron to just 166 yards on Saturday, and racked up 431 yards for themselves.
4. This is a trap game
Who could blame the Huskies for looking past the Orange? They just played BYU on the road, and they're thinking about Nebraska and USC in the next two weeks. Maybe they don't spend as much time looking at the SU game film, which would clearly show a better team than in previous years. And maybe they're not prepared for Nassib and Aaron Weaver, two new-and-improved weapons for the SU arsenal. I'm just sayin ...
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