Syracuse, N.Y. -- Syracuse football coach Dino Babers entered the year facing questions about his long-term future at the school. There’s a good chance he’ll end the season the same way.
The tone of Babers’ final pre-game press conference of the year focused on the future of the program but when asked if he was confident that he’d remain head coach next season regardless of what happens in the team’s game against Pittsburgh, Babers said that it’s a decision that is out of his control.
Those who will eventually answer it include athletic director John Wildhack, Chancellor Kent Syverud and the school’s Board of Trustees.
“This is very easy, very easy question to answer,” Babers said, when asked if he felt he’d already done enough to return for a seventh season. “My job belongs to my employer. My career belongs to me. I only control the things that I can control. I also believe that good coaches get hired and good coaches get fired. And really, really, really good coaches get rehired. But I’ve always thought that, for 35 years, whether I was an assistant, a coordinator or a head coach. It’s not the most important thing.”
Babers noted the Orange has exceeded almost all expert predictions for this season. Those low expectations were created by a dreadful performance the previous year when the Orange was beset by injuries.
Syracuse has been competitive for most of the season while undergoing a dramatic change in its offensive philosophy but will need to pull off a substantial upset in the final game of the season to avoid finishing under .500 for the fifth time in Babers’ six seasons at SU.
The biggest success was substantial, a 10-3 season in 2018 that was the program’s best in decades, but without an upset over Pitt to close the year the Orange would finish with two ACC wins or fewer for the fifth time in six years.
Showing improvement on offense was a big hope entering the season and even that is an eye-of-the-beholder exercise given Garrett Shrader’s impressive ability to run the ball combined with the team’s struggles throwing over the final weeks of the season.
Babers declined to say whether his goal for the team this season hangs in the balance against Pittsburgh or how he judges this team’s performance, but he said he’s taken note of the negative expectations heading into the year and the conversations surrounding his job status.
“I don’t know if I want to put my judgments out there,” Babers said. “I remember when the season started, I remember who was on the hot seat. I remember we weren’t supposed to win more than three games. I read all your articles, everybody in here. And then all of a sudden we decided we weren’t going to be bad, we were going to be good, and everybody changed their expectations.
“Our expectations in here have never changed, and our goal has always been the same. But that’s our goal and you guys have to decide what you think and if we’ve met our goal. I’m not going to tell you about my goal.”
Contact Chris Carlson anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1639
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