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Did You Hear The One About Syracuse's Schedule?

Almost every sports fanbase has to a deal with a stereotyping or generalization about their team. Bills fans will have to deal with the "choke" label until they finally win a Super Bowl someday. Georgetown will always be a group of thugs, at least until those that think of John Thompson II before they think of John Thompson III shuffle loose the mortal coil.

As for Syracuse, no matter what we do this season or for the next decade, we are destined to be known as "the jerks who don't leave the Carrier Dome before January." Nevermind the fact that the implication is that every other major program is playing nothing but road games against Duke and UCLA in November and December. Nevermind
Florida's schedule this season, which makes Syracuse's look like a march through hell. It is futile to fight it any longer because those with the loudest voices and most lacking research departments will continue to speak the "truth."

Such is my segue to Dana O'Neil, who had
the following discussion in a chat today on ESPN:

Cuse fan (in Gtown):
Onuaku is turning into an inside beast when syracuse holds the ball for more than 5 seconds a possession. If he steps up, how good can the Cuse be?
SportsNation Dana O'Neil: (2:35 PM ET ) Cuse fan: I never know what to think of Syracuse until January when they actually leave the state. But without Devendorf and with Wright gone, they need someone to step up
Cuse fan:
They already left the state once and travel 5 hours away another time. Wright is not a loss, he wasn't playing when he left the team. Are you looking at this years roster?
SportsNation Dana O'Neil: (2:40 PM ET ) Cuse fan: Once? In 14 games? Doesn't get it done for me. And 5 hours only because it's a big state.

Getting too in-depth into defending this would imply that it holds such weight to require a correction. The truth is, anyone who felt the value of Josh Wright was so important that the Syracuse season hinged on him is clearly speaking out of turn.


And in case you're wondering, yes Dana has seen Syracuse lately. You see, she covered Villanova for years. That's
Villanova, the team that only left the state to play in a neutral site tournament against a trio of unranked teams and had otherwise not left Pennsylvania until yesterday (when they lost). But hey, they did rack up more frequent flier miles than the Orange, that counts for something, right?

(Thanks Jon for the head's up)