Should there be an asterisk next to Syracuse Football's 2020 season?
Syracuse, NY -- The 1-7 Syracuse Orange are fresh off their second bye week of the season and are staring down a final three-game stretch against Louisville, NC State, and No. 2 Notre Dame. Hopefully, the time off provided some much-needed recovery for banged-up stars like RB Sean Tucker and an opportunity to learn for youngsters like QB JaCobian Morgan. The hiatus for head coach Dino Babers helped solidify his feelings about the most turbulent time he's had in the sport: the 2020 college football season shouldn't really count.
"Based off of this fifth year, I would like to have an asterisk by it," Babers said wishfully as he spoke to the media on Monday. "But I understand there's not going to be an asterisk. There's no doubt that 2020 has been a different year and something that you need to grow and learn from."
Asterisks in sports are typically reserved for those alleged of cheating the game. In one case, it served as a "scarlet letter" for the man unfortunate enough to break a record that was never meant to be broken. Asterisks and mulligans aren't handed out for overwhelming obstacles. But maybe they should be.
"It's not the same to me," Babers said when asked if this season was cause for alarm. "I think there's so many mishaps, injuries. I think the one thing you always want to be is fair. You have to be able to look at things and see if people really had a fair opportunity to show what they can or cannot do. And I just think this year is one of those years you put an asterisk by it, and you move on."
Coronavirus never tore through this roster, but injuries certainly did. The starting quarterback is down and out. The back-up quarterback is likely done for the year. The All-American safety has played his last ever game in an Orange uniform. The running back corps is headed by fifth and sixth stringers, and more than half of the starting defense is represented by freshmen. Syracuse has had to operate with fewer than 60 scholarship players at times, and Babers is suiting-up more first-year players now than at any other point in his tenure. Not to mention the other critical holes left by opt-outs and inexplicable transfer denials.
When you consider the depths of the barrel being scraped to just to field a team every week, you might assume Syracuse has at least accounted for one of the 67 games postponed or canceled due to COVID-19 this season. But an uninterrupted eight-games played to this point proves you wrong. And from the looks of it, there won't be anything stopping game nine from taking place either.
"We tested 160 football players and staff just the other day, and all came back negative," Babers said as part of his latest update on Monday. "We've been good for a real, real long time when it comes from the football end of it."
Injuries are never fair for the individuals involved, but they're unbiased in that they impact every team, every year. So maybe "fair" isn't the right word, but Babers and company have been trying to sustain themselves from a considerable disadvantage dating all the way back to the offseason. The transition to new offensive and defensive coordinators was stalled when players were sent home halfway through the spring. Not long after they returned, the work left unfinished was then laid at the feet of freshmen still transitioning from high school.
Asterisks are typically reserved for sports' greatest villains, and never are they requested by the party in question. Babers was asked if he would retroactively apply any other qualifying marks to seasons past. In this regard, however, 2020 yet again remains unique.
"I've never had a season like this as a head coach," Babers said. "I've only been on one team that's only won a single game the entire year. And it was a very, very difficult year to only come away with one win. And I would like to make sure I don't have to go through that again.
"I've got three opportunities against three teams where we will not be favored. I'm really sure about that. But we'll see how the chips fall. Maybe we can pull one out here down the stretch."
