Syracuse football: Orange face 20 of ACC’s top 25 players

Yesterday, we talked about how the Syracuse Orange face several difficult teams this year (four of the top 25, to be exact). Today, it ends up that those teams have quite a few quality individual performers as well.

ESPN’s ACC Blog wrapped up its countdown of the top 25 players in the conference today, and to no one’s surprise, the Orange will face 20 of those players this season. The top five, for your reference (of which, SU faces four this year):

1. Deshaun Watson, QB/Clemson
2. Dalvin Cook, RB/Florida State
3. Brad Kaaya, QB/Miami
4. Derwin James, S/Florida State
5. Devonte Fields, LB/Louisville

You may also be interested in the team-by-team breakdown, so that’s also below. As you’ll notice, the talent in the ACC is consolidated to a select few programs, who are (not coincidentally) at the top of the recruiting rankings for the past three or four years:

Clemson (8)

Florida State (4)

Pittsburgh (4)

North Carolina (3)

Louisville (2)

Miami (1)

Virginia (1)

Virginia Tech (1)

A reminder, Syracuse faces all three of the top three teams here, and all in November. Hooray?