Syracuse falls to No. 16 in AP poll after 27-21 loss to No. 5 Clemson

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Syracuse fell two spots to No. 16 in both the AP Top 25 Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll. A last-second loss against Clemson helped the Orange maintain their position in the top 20 of the rankings.

SU entered Clemson, South Carolina, as the No. 14 team in the country. The contest against the No. 5 Tigers was supposed to be a two-touchdown loss for the Orange. Instead, Syracuse stormed through the first half and entered halftime with an 11-point lead. Despite this, the Orange gave up 20 unanswered points and were burned by backup quarterback Cade Klubnik, erasing their undefeated record.

“It’s a horrible feeling,” linebacker Mikel Jones said after the loss. “It took a lot to get here and we just fell short again. It’s a bad feeling but we’re gonna keep working.”

Syracuse returns home in second place behind the Tigers in the Atlantic Coast Conference Atlantic division. Notre Dame, who started the season ranked in the top five but will enter the JMA Wireless Dome with a 4-3 record, is Syracuse’s next opponent. SU hasn’t beaten the Fighting Irish since 2008.

Following that contest, SU heads back on the road to face Pittsburgh before welcoming unranked Florida State on Nov. 12. Then, Syracuse travels to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to play No. 10 Wake Forest, its final ranked opponent on the schedule, before capping off the season in Boston College. Despite being bowl eligible and with three conference wins, the Orange are likely going to finish the season outside the ACC Championship game.