Syracuse could be the defense-first surprise
Context
The show's Syracuse interest starts with Vince Kehres. His Mount Union and Toledo background gives the Orange a credible defensive change agent in a conference where average defense plus decent offense can win more games than expected.
The pushback is real. Returning production is not automatically good when the returning defense was bad, the schedule gets difficult in the second half, and Steve Angeli's Achilles recovery plus a rebuilt receiver room decide whether the offense has enough stability to let the defense matter.