Syracuse football will get a chance to fill up on wins in ACC (how I voted in AP top 25)

Syracuse, N.Y. — There are just two ACC teams ranked in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll, one that recently dropped out and a few more who are getting some looks but aren’t a threat to join the rankings anytime soon.

Syracuse, irrespective of Friday night’s result against Liberty, is going to see a steady diet of junk food in the ACC this year, and it better indulge.

The conference has lost some of its best players for the season and has posted uninspiring results through the first three weeks of the season.

Florida State is winless.

Clemson survived a scare against Georgia Tech with another sluggish offensive showing.

Pittsburgh just lost to Western Michigan.

Louisville needed a stunning turn of events to get by Central Florida.

That’s all welcome news for a Syracuse program that has to start winning more conference games if its wants to regularly contend for bowl appearances.

It has the schedule to do it this year.

SU dodges one of the league’s most explosive offenses in North Carolina. It doesn’t have to deal with Virginia’s strong-armed quarterback Brennan Armstrong until, perhaps, next season.

The Orange gets Wake Forest (Oct. 9), Boston College (Oct. 30) and Pittsburgh (Nov. 27) in the Carrier Dome. The Eagles, of course, lost star quarterback Phil Jurkovec to a serious hand injury.

Even the Atlantic Division’s presumptive talent hoarders, Clemson and Florida State, look vulnerable.

If Syracuse can keep its core healthy, it has the make-up to hang around and compete with most of the teams in the conference.

Babers is one of 11 hires from 2016 coaching cycle still in the same job

The University of Southern California’s decision to fire Clay Helton ended the tenure of yet another coach hired ahead of the 2016 season.

Twenty-nine hires comprised that year’s coaching cycle, including Syracuse’s hiring of Dino Babers.

Helton’s firing means there are just 11 of those 29 coaches still in the same job they were nearly six years ago.

Aside from Babers, here are the other 10:

Kirby Smart, Georgia; Matt Campbell, Iowa State; Ed Orgeron, Louisiana State; Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech; Bronco Mendenhall, Virginia; Kalani Sitake, Brigham Young; Jason Candle, Toledo; Mike Neu, Ball State; Willie Fritz, Tulane; Seth Littrell, North Texas.

Here’s how I voted in this week’s poll:

1. Alabama

2. Georgia

3. Oklahoma

4. Oregon

5. Ohio State

6. Clemson

7. Cincinnati

8. Texas A&M

9. Penn State

10. Iowa

11. Florida