Syracuse head coach Scott Shafer needed a life preserver in 2015, not simply to help minimize his team's 3-9 campaign in 2014, but also to help him establish some credibility to a skeptical audience. His 2013 team, which was his first as head coach, won seven games, but that could be dismissed under the 'ol "he won with the last guy's players" clause.
Unfortunately, Shafer's 2015 has been incredibly ill-timed, in part thanks to circumstances outside of his control. On the one hand, Syracuse had to replace a significant number of major contributors on the defensive side heading into the year.