This year is really shaping up to a rapid acceleration of the football program.   Sure the Big East is down, WAY Down from where it was in Greggers tenure, but SU can only play the games as they lay on the schedule.

But it's all coming together so quickly, a successful season, a really great message about the program and it's goal (re-establishing the SU Tradition, the winning ways) and a competition in flux.  If this season continues on it's current course or even 70% of it's current course, SU should be a lead dog in the North East recruiting battles:

1.  Growing program, fresh off a bowl appearance

2.  Strong history with current NFL ties

3.  NFL experiences coaches

4.  Immediate playing time a nearly every position

5.  And for that special someone....for the first 5 star recruit...the un-retiring of the 44.

With Rutgers and UConn struggling, UConn especially, SU now appears to be the program on the rise in the Big East.  And somewhat like Miami or Alamba's restoration in their conferences, once the historical institutions get rolling, they can build pretty fast.

Clearly I'm not comparing SU to Bama or Miami in anyway other then the fact they are historically significant programs in their natural recruiting radius.

If you look at the remaining schedule:

@Cincy

Lou

@RU

UConn

BC

@Cincy is going to be very tough and Lou is playing good D and has a solid run game, so it's a fundamental match up that could out last SU's depth.  After that RU, UConn and BC all seem ripe for the taking games.  All of this is assuming DC3 is healthy.

But lets say SU only wins 2 of it's last 5 games and finishes at 7-5.  Still bowl worth, still a marked improvement in year 2, and against the rest of the big east and teams they are recruiting against, even this type of finish provides a major lift.

And that's a good thing, because the senior class is taking a lot of talent with it.  DC3, Hogue, Smith, Mike Holmes, Perkins & Tribbey - a lot of the guys who are filling up the stat sheet this year are gone, and outside of DC3 - there is not much left behind them right now.