Dino Babers and Syracuse football might be onto something

It’s likely you’ve already read Richard Johnson’s lengthy, excellent profile on Dino Babers and the Syracuse Orange over on SB Nation. But if not, you should probably go ahead and do so. Don’t worry, we’ll wait...

Back? Cool.

Along with the article, Richard also joined SB Nation Recruiting Editor Bud Elliott for a podcast, to further discuss Babers and Syracuse. Since we didn’t give you our own podcast this week (sorry!), consider this a very capable (likely better) replacement.

Among the topics covered were the interview, of course, but more importantly, what the Orange are currently building under Dino and his offensive system. Bud leads with Syracuse “exploiting inefficiencies” and the conversation proceeds accordingly.

As we’ve discussed here before, this offense is a market advantage for SU, espeically when compared to other Northeast programs. We’re also in a Dome, which makes it difficult for nearby peers to replicate it (to an extent).

On a related note, Bud and Richard talk about the second-year bump for spread offenses, and what that could mean for Syracuse. They’re realistic about the schedule being a detriment to climbing win totals, but also see the potential road to 2017 improving a hell of a lot. That should raise concerns about how long Babers is actually on the Syracuse sidelines -- but also shouldn’t. If he wins a ton and is offered a better gig as a result, we still possess those victories. And are in a better place as a program.

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Given that it’s a recruiting podcast, the remainder of the conversation is largely about recruiting: What Syracuse is able to offer above Northeast peers, the types of players they’ll bother with that bigger programs won’t, and of course, Tommy DeVito. Bud’s actually spent a decent amount of time with DeVito, and has plenty of praise to throw his way. You’re all big fans of DeVito content (we have the numbers to prove that), so at the very least, you’ll enjoy that portion of the recording.

The fact that Babers and Syracuse are getting this sort of attention after a 4-8 campaign is exactly why you hire someone like him to be your head coach. SU was a storyline for parts of last year, and is again this year. Eventually, sure, the wins will have to support that. But in the early going, the novelty and entertainment value the Orange bring to the table is enough.

So listen to that podcast, and again, read Richard’s story if you haven’t. The podcast brings up Scott Shafer’s offenses for a few horrifying seconds, before shifting gears. But you’ll likely recognize the pain in Bud’s voice when he attempts to describe the Tim Lester option offense.