John: With bowl talk aplenty, SU must back it up at Akron

As Syracuse begins its second season under the direction of Doug Marrone at Akron Saturday, the talk surrounding the team is whether or not the Orange is bowl-caliber this year. It's a topic that gets thrown around at nearly every school, nearly every year. But if this year is to be any different for SU, it begins with this weekend's visit to Akron, Ohio.

The mystery surrounding this team is still there. Though nearly every season spurs some sort of optimism, some sort of clean slate relief, it's been a while since the Orange was talking seriously about a bowl appearance. But now, for the first time in recent memory, the talk is starting again. The question remains: Is it legitimate? Is SU finally ready to climb the stairs out of the Big East basement?

Until this weekend, it's anyone's guess. And until the Orange exits InfoCision Stadium Saturday evening, we won't have a clue as to what the answer is.

Though the offense only returns two starters from a year ago, the group coming back is more talented, collectively, than the group Marrone coached last season. They are in their second year of the system and have players at key positions that have shown they can produce when needed.

Defensively, Syracuse looks even better, and deeper, than the group that ranked 13th in the nation (101.83) in defense against the run in 2009. The unit returns nine of 11 starters from a year ago. Because of that, and the plan Marrone has instilled in his program, talk of a bowl might not be all that ludicrous.

"The goal of our football team is to go to a bowl," Marrone said Monday. "We haven't done that since 2004. … We know we have to win seven (games) to go to a bowl, but right now we're just trying to win one, and that is the one we play this week."

Marrone wasn't going public with that goal in year one. He was building the foundation for future seasons. 2009 was a stepping stone. And although Syracuse needs seven wins to get to a bowl, that's a goal he and his players are now openly discussing.

So when all is said and done Saturday night, a lot will be revealed about this year's SU squad. Only then will we find out, as Dennis Green might say, Are they who we thought they were? Though we will certainly not know how good this year's team can be from just one game, we can sense if this will be another sour year for Syracuse football fans.

"Our whole motto this year is, ‘It ain't good enough,'" senior linebacker Derrell Smith said during preseason camp. "So everything we do out there, we want to make sure we do it a little better. … That goes with everything we did last year, too. We feel that we can definitely take that next step, improve, and, for us seniors, leave with a bowl ring."

A loss against Akron would be a catastrophic blow to SU's bowl hopes. And for fans, a ‘here we go again' mentality would set in even sooner than a year ago. Imagine that.

Since 2005, every group of seniors at SU has tried to go out in a bowl game. Yet every last one of them came up empty in their quest. Whether it was due to injuries, bad luck or just not putting enough talent on the field, the Orange has failed to reach the postseason in each of the last five years.

Yet some believe this could be the year.

It's not just that there appears to be a sense of urgency with this squad. It's because both the offense and defense are deeper and more talented than a year ago.

"There's a sense of urgency every year," center Ryan Bartholomew said. "But this year, I think we have the best chance, talent-wise and work ethic-wise, since I've been here. So we just have to capitalize on that."

A win against the Zips, and the Orange heads to Seattle next weekend, riding some momentum — and with two Football Championship Subdivision teams in Weeks 3 and 4, the Orange would be looking at, potentially, its best start in years. That makes this week's opener against Akron all the more intriguing — and pivotal — for the Orange. Reaching seven wins doesn't look all that impossible if the first four games go as predicted.

But a loss to Akron obviously wipes all that away. Not only does a loss put a dent into all that early season confidence, but it also makes getting to seven wins an even more grueling task. Instead of collecting a victory against the Zips, SU would then likely have to win its fair share of games in the Big East schedule — a slate that includes road games at West Virginia, South Florida, Rutgers and Cincinnati and home games against Connecticut and Pittsburgh. That's a daunting task for any team.

Not matter how you shake it, win or lose, this week's game at Akron can't be overlooked in terms of significance to SU's postseason hopes. Fans want to see the progress. They want a reason to buy into what Marrone is doing at Syracuse. A win this weekend is the first step.

And for the seniors, such as Smith and Bartholomew, this Saturday provides an opportunity to take one step closer to the bowl game with which they hope to end their career.

The game isn't in the Dome. But if you really think the Orange is going to a bowl, don't sleep this Saturday. Saturday is significant.

aljohn@syr.edu