Football

Syracuse ranked No. 22 in AP poll, SU’s 1st ranking since 2001

TJ Shaw | Staff Photographer

Syracuse players celebrate after beating NC State on Saturday night in the Carrier Dome.

For the first time since 2001, Syracuse football is ranked in the AP Poll. The Orange (6-2, 3-2 Atlantic Coast) ranked No. 22 in Sunday afternoon’s poll. The Orange also appeared in USA Today Coaches Poll at No. 24.

The jump from receiving no votes last week to a ranking this week came less than 24 hours after Syracuse defeated then-No. 22 North Carolina State, 51-41 in the Carrier Dome. With the win, the Orange clinched a bowl berth for the first time since 2013.

Until Sunday, Syracuse’s 17-year drought from the AP Top 25 was the second longest among Power Five programs. Only Indiana, which hasn’t appeared in the rankings since 1994, has been held out of the Top 25 longer.

Syracuse had received votes in both the AP and Coaches Polls earlier this season but fell off after back-to-back losses including a 44-37 loss at Pittsburgh. Nine teams ranked 15-25 lost on Saturday, leading to a major shift in the back half of the polls.

The last time SU was ranked in the AP poll was the postseason vote in 2001, when the Orange checked in at No. 14 after beating Kansas State in the Insight.com Bowl. At that time, Paul Pasqualoni was still the head coach of Syracuse. That season included an upset of No. 5 Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. All three of Syracuse’s losses that season came to top-10 opponents.



SU plays at Wake Forest on Saturday at noon at BB&T Field. The Demon Deacons most recently defeated Louisville, 56-35, on the road.

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