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This post won't be the one you (and Sean) are dreading. That's probably happening tomorrow. No, this one is much simpler, though it may still aggravate you just as much.
Syracuse's offense scored just 206 points this year -- an average of 17.1, which ranks them 122nd in the country out of 128 FBS teams. That spot is behind such offensive "goliaths" as Kansas, South Florida, Southern Miss, Troy and Ohio (among others). So, "yay!" for that.
But where does that rank amongst recent Orange teams? And if we're pushing even further back, how does it rank amongst the last 50 Orange teams? Well... not as bad AND just as bad as you may think, all at once.
In the last 50 seasons, here's how your bottom 12 rank, in terms of points per game:
| Season | W-L | Points | PPG |
| 1974 | 2-9 | 121 | 11.0 |
| 1973 | 2-9 | 130 | 11.7 |
| 1972 | 5-6 | 142 | 12.8 |
| 1984 | 6-5 | 152 | 13.7 |
| 2005 | 1-10 | 152 | 13.8 |
| 1976 | 3-8 | 154 | 14.0 |
| 1982 | 2-9 | 161 | 14.5 |
| 1975 | 6-5 | 175 | 15.8 |
| 1983 | 6-5 | 179 | 16.2 |
| 2007 | 2-10 | 197 | 16.4 |
| 1969 | 5-5 | 169 | 16.9 |
| 2014 | 3-9 | 206 | 17.1 |
So, no 2014 is not even in the bottom 10. BUT, it's worth noting that the majority of these teams were either a) before teams actually scored points in college football. And b) the other two post-1984 teams here were coached by Greg Robinson. Also, a lot of Syracuse teams have been pretty bad at offense. In case you were wondering (you weren't), 18 Orange teams have averaged 20 points or less per season since 1965. And somehow, 32 (!!!) scored under 25 points per game. That's startling, and depressing. Yes, both Scott Shafer teams are on that under-25 list. Why do you ask?
But so we're not all doom-and-gloom here, you'll probably want to look at the top-10 BEST scoring teams in Syracuse's last 50 years of football. Lots of fun memories here:
| Season | W-L | Points | PPG |
| 1998 | 8-4 | 479 | 39.8 |
| 1996 | 9-3 | 438 | 36.4 |
| 1997 | 9-4 | 442 | 33.9 |
| 1987 | 11-0-1 | 380 | 31.6 |
| 1995 | 9-3 | 375 | 31.2 |
| 2012 | 8-5 | 390 | 30.0 |
| 2002 | 4-8 | 348 | 28.9 |
| 1988 | 10-2 | 342 | 28.4 |
| 1992 | 10-2 | 341 | 28.3 |
| 1979 | 7-5 | 324 | 27.0 |
| 1991 | 10-2 | 323 | 26.8 |
| 2003 | 6-6 | 321 | 26.7 |
What you'll notice: Coach P's teams could score. A LOT. And just about every excellent Syracuse squad over the past half-century scored a lot as well. Recent squads haven't scored a lot AND aren't very good. Coincidence? Doubtful. Also, on a more somber note... these seasons are all in the PAST. And outside of the 2012 team (which again, is better than it'll ever get credit for -- by us or outsiders), they're really in the distant past. That's a bummer, though it also tells us that scoring more is probably part of the key to winning more. Just a hunch, especially in a conference that has its fair share of solid offenses (and even if it doesn't, let's outscore the bad offenses too).
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Does this make things worse? Better? No change? Weigh in below.