Syracuse football: Preseason AP Poll features four Orange opponents

As we’ve covered off on, the Syracuse Orange are up against a tough schedule this fall. When the preseason Coaches Poll was released at the beginning of August, it featured four different SU opponents -- Clemson (no. 2), Florida State (no. 4), Notre Dame (no. 9) and Louisville (no. 23).

The AP Poll, released today, reads similarly.

Clemson comes in ranked second, with 16 first-place votes, versus Alabama’s 33 at the top. Florida State is fourth, and Notre Dame is at 10, just one spot lower than they start in the Coaches Poll. Louisville hype has certainly prevailed more with the media than with the coaches though, it seems. The Cards are at 19 in the AP.

In the ACC, North Carolina also made the poll at 23rd. Miami was first out, just behind Florida. Syracuse opponents Pittsburgh and South Florida also received votes.

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SU is up against quite the test this year, and expectations around the country have not been set all that high. As we’ve covered, that’s largely fine. Ultimately, these polls are good for framing a preseason conversation and nothing more. The real games get started this coming Friday (Cal and Hawaii play in Australia), followed by the full week one slate the next week.