The final score was 27-22, and for the second time this year Dabo Swinney beat out Dino Babers. But this time, it was for ACC Coach of the Year. This was an interesting vote. If it hadn’t been for the Trevor Lawrence-Kelly Bryant QB situation, I think Dino wins this award.
Really, I think Dino should have won the award this year. He has turned Syracuse around from a .500 football program at best to a team that was competing for the Atlantic Division title with the ACC’s version of Alabama.
Yes, Syracuse lost head-to-head against Clemson with Chase Brice playing most of the game at QB for Clemson after an injury to Lawrence, but when you see a top 25 poll with Syracuse listed, you’re thinking Jim Boeheim is coaching that squad.
Syracuse was picked to finish last in the Atlantic Division and finished second. This was their first winning record since 2013, when they won 7 games. Their first time winning at least nine games since 2001. This is only Babers’ third year at the school, and he’s turned them into a winner. If a guy at a school like Syracuse doesn’t win coach of the year after a program defining season like this, when does he win it?
