Face-Off Yearbook, a preseason publication from Inside Lacrosse, went live on the Internet marketplace today. (This is a great day both for currency and offered products.) In conjuction with the release, Inside Lacrosse published the magazine's preseason top 20 for both the men and the women as we approach the 2013 season. The story is both disappointing and balloon-party-at-the-petting-zoo fun.
Let's start with the frowny face stuff. John Desko's Orange, fresh off of a 9-8 campaign in 2012 which saw Syracuse fall to Duke in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, takes the 14th spot in Face-Off Yearbook's rankings. Coaches that were polled placed the Orange somewhat higher at 11th. With all the concerns that Syracuse has regarding their offensive midfield, play at the dot, and what will constitute the attack, the rankings are pretty fair at this point in the year. If JoJo Marasco needed bulletin board material to rile up the charges, he certainly has it right now.
As for the PAAAAAAAAARRTTTAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY! stuff, the ladies are going to be entering 2013 with a bulls-eye on their back. Ranked first -- Numero uno! The big cheese! A-1! Captain Lacrosse Pants! -- Syracuse sits above Florida (who they face-smashed in the NCAA Tournament last season) and Northwestern (who were presumably dropped a few spots given the fact that they're yellow). Gary Gait has been doing great work on The Hill with the women's program, and with arguably the strongest recruiting class in the country at his disposal, the ladies have a really good shot at bringing home some hardware in May.
Now we wait until mid-January for preseason practice to begin. For more lacrosse-ish stuff, make sure to read College Crosse.