Syracuse moves to No. 14 in AP poll after 1st ranked win of the season

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Following Syracuse’s first win over a ranked opponent in four years, it moved to No. 14 in the AP Top 25 Poll. The Orange also earned No. 14 in the USA Today Coaches Poll, moving up four spots from last week. The win at home against then-No. 15 NC State moved SU to 6-0 and qualified it for a bowl game for the first time since 2018. The Orange jumped the Wolfpack, Penn State and Mississippi State in the rankings, all of whom lost on Saturday.

“There’s a lot of goals that are still out there, but there’s one goal that’s been checked,” Syracuse head coach Dino Babers said after the game.

Syracuse is now one of just nine remaining undefeated teams in Division I — the other eight teams rank first through ninth place in the standings, save for 6-1 Alabama at 6-1. With bowl eligibility out of the way, the Orange will travel to Death Valley to square off against No. 5 Clemson, who dropped one spot in the rankings after a 34-28 win over Florida State.

NC State, whom SU handled 24-9 Saturday afternoon, dropped to No. 23 in the latest poll, now with two losses to ranked opponents. The Orange also face Wake Forest later in the season, who moved up one spot to No. 13 after a 45-10 smothering of Army. Future opponents Pittsburgh and Notre Dame, who began the season in the top 25, remain unranked this week.