Phil Steele's Preseason All-ACC Team Largely Ignores Syracuse

Syracuse exceeded expectations in its first year in the ACC. The Orange managed seven wins when most pundits predicted them to get about four. They won a bowl game against a major conference opponent (again!) when everyone outside of this blog and the Syracuse locker room seemed to think they were toast. And they return a good portion of the players that brought us that success last season, giving us plenty of hope about what this season could bring.

So with Phil Steele's All-ACC teams announced today, we're going to see the Orange well-represented, right?

/scans page

//double-takes

///counts names

Out of the 112 players on Steele's four All-ACC teams, Syracuse ends up with just FIVE players represented:

OT Sean Hickey (first-team)

LB Dyshawn Davis (second-team)

FS Durell Eskridge (second-team)

LB Cameron Lynch (third-team)

K Ross Krautman (fourth-team)

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Now this isn't to take away from the SU players above. They all earned their spots and should be celebrated for that... but where the hell is everyone else???

No, this team certainly doesn't NEED to be all-Orange, but it's not exactly a stretch either to include at least a few more. Of particular interest:

• Louisville's Will Gardner (a largely unproven sophomore) gets fourth-team nods from Steele while our own Terrel Hunt is left off the list. Gardner has 112 passing yards and two touchdowns in his career. Unsure how he ends up here ahead of Hunt, Clemson's Cole Stoudt and a few others.
• Rather than seeing any member of the well-regarded Syracuse backfield, we have North Carolina's T.J. Logan (okay) and Wayne Gallman from Clemson (has not played).
• No love for Ivan Foy or Rob Trudo at all?
• And of course, this list could use a little Riley Dixon as well.

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So what do you think? Is Phil right? Am I off-base? Are there other inherent issues with the list that may not be Orange-related? Share your thoughts in the comments.