Conference Big East Conference Offensive scheme Multiple | 2012 record 8–5 (5–2 Big East) | |
Head coach Doug Marrone (4th year) Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett (2nd year) Defensive coordinator Scott Shafer (4th year) | ||
The 2012 Syracuse Orange football team represented Syracuse University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Orange were led by fourth year head coach Doug Marrone and played their home games at the Carrier Dome. The season marked their last as members of the Big East Conference, as they joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2013. They finished the season 8–5, 5–2 in Big East play to claim a four-way share of the Big East Conference championship. They were invited to the Pinstripe Bowl where they defeated long-time rival West Virginia, whom they did not play in the regular season due to the Mountaineers' move to the Big 12 Conference. The 2012 season also proved to be the final one for Marrone as the Orange head coach, as he was hired as the new head coach of the NFL's Buffalo Bills shortly after the end of the season.
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Preseason
The Orange finished the 2011 season with a 5–7 record, going 1–6 in Big East play to finish in a tie for seventh place. The 2012 recruiting class added 21 new players to the roster, including 13 three-star players. Rivals.com ranked the 2012 Syracuse recruiting class at number 65 in the nation.
On offense, the Orange are returning senior quarterback Ryan Nassib, starting for his third consecutive season. Key offensive players such as Alec Lemon, Marcus Sales, Jerome Smith, and Prince-Tyson Gulley are also returning. On defense, key players returning include Shamarko Thomas, Marquis Spruill, and Deon Goggins. The program lost a number of significant contributors in the 2011 campaign, including tight end Nick Provo and defensive end Chandler Jones, and such losses left a number of questions regarding how a relatively young defense would be able to mature without many experienced players.
In its preseason rankings, College Football News ranked the Orange 57th in the country, and projected that they would go 6-6 in 2012. Their 2012 schedule is the 42nd-toughest in the nation, according to rankings compiled by statistician Jeff Sagarin.
Big East media poll
The 2012 Big East Preseason Poll was announced at the Big East Media Day in Newport, RI on July 31, 2012. Syracuse was chosen to finish seventh in the conference.
- Louisville – 219 (24)
- South Florida – 176 (4)
- Rutgers – 155
- Cincinnati – 139
- Pittsburgh – 131
- Connecticut – 77
- Syracuse – 70
- Temple – 41