Who’s the most likeable top 25 team for 2019?

I know, you guys love arbitrary rankings. And today’s is among the most arbitrary we’ve yet seen: Ranking college football’s top 25 based on likability,

In the USA Today piece, they take a look at all 25 teams in the Coaches Poll and put them in order of how “likeable” they are. This would seem to be in the Syracuse Orange’s favor because of how much the national media enjoys Dino Babers. However, that is not the case here.

SU winds up 20th out of 25, while completely dismissing the ability for Babers alone to get them ranked No. 1. The only teams below SU were Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Notre Dame. You’re telling me that we’re anywhere close to the level of those fans in terms of volume, venom and perceptions of #DISRESPEKT (well... might be on the last one, especially given the contents of this links post)?

Also, while we’re here, not going to drag a fan for coming back to season tickets following a 17-year hiatus, but today’s Syracuse.com story is at least a little weird.

The fan in question (notably not from all that “nearby,” just outside Rochester) had season tickets for 19 seasons and then gave up after 2001... when Syracuse went 10-3. He did not renew for the next 17 years, until the Orange went 10-3 again in 2018, which encouraged him to be one of thousands of new season ticket holders for 2019.

Many of us here were season ticket holders during GERG, Marrone, Shafer and/or the early Babers seasons, and at any point in most of those years, you wouldn’t have been blamed for opting out, even if we’d rather you didn’t. Leaving after 10 wins, however, does seem odd. And only coming back after 10 wins again (when there have been several bowl seasons in between) doesn’t seem like sustainable strategy for fan support if there are a lot of new season ticket holders that feel the same way. Because SU isn’t winning 10 games every year. Very few programs can.

Hopefully this is concern about nothing, and most fans are back because they believe in the program again, not just because of the 10-win campaign, or top 25 ranking or the home schedule featuring Clemson. With luck, maybe we never need to know if that’s the case or not, though.

Ranking college football’s top 25 based on likability (USA Today)

20. Syracuse (No. 22, 10-3 in 2018): If the Orange can pull off an upset against Clemson like it did a couple years ago, they could end up being the heroes for teams hoping to make the College Football Playoff. And another 10-win season would be awesome for them. But if not, we’ll just be waiting for basketball season.

Ranking the 2019 ACC schedules from easiest to hardest (247Sports)

10. Syracuse: The Orange’s non-conference schedule looks manageable, but it does have to open with consecutive road games against teams with first-year head coaches in Liberty and Maryland. That may not be as easy as it seems, especially considering Syracuse plays Clemson immediately after on Sept. 14. Home games versus Western Michigan and Holy Cross in back-to-back weeks in late September will help cancel out the difficult start.

Why Syracuse football fan, after 17-year hiatus, got season tickets again (Syracuse.com)

Then, after Dwight Freeney harassed quarterbacks in 2001, Bell gave up his tickets. A man with rich ties to the area, whose grandfather, J. Ernest Delmonico Sr., was part of a team of doctors to diagnose Ernie Davis with leukemia, was going to stay home on Saturdays in the fall. “They didn’t have players coming in,” Bell said, “so I gave up the tickets.

Getting to know Jesse Edwards, Syracuse’s international man of mystery (Syracuse.com)

In May, Edwards started summer school in Syracuse. He spent about two months on campus before returning to Europe for a three-week holiday. He spent the first week at home, then traveled to Portugal for a family vacation before heading back to Amsterdam. “I just wanted to see my family, because once the season starts, I probably won’t see them for like 10 months,” he said. “So it was just to get some family time, holiday time.”

When will Syracuse football fans be able to buy orange jerseys? (Syracuse.com)

They are expected to be available at some point during the 2019 season, SU executive senior associate athletic director for communications Sue Edson said in an email. She also pointed to the school’s initial news release regarding the uniforms, which indicated that merchandise would be available in the fall. “The jerseys will be available to fans as soon as they arrive from Nike,” Edson said.

City to host Syracuse football celebration to kick off new season (Syracuse.com)

John Swofford wants to talk about programming for the ACC Network (Backing the Pack)

UM, Manny Diaz to Canes fans: Demand Comcast carries ACC Network — or switch cable (Miami Herald)

2019 ACC women’s soccer preview (TopDrawSoccer)