Charlotte, N.C. -- Sometimes, a college football program's growth isn't linear from a win-loss perspective.
For instance, Syracuse football's 4-8 team in 2017 was markedly better than its iteration the season before. The Orange notched an all-time great upset of then-No. 2 Clemson and lost close fourth-quarter games with four teams that appeared in the Top 25.
Speaking at the ACC Kickoff last week, third-year head coach Dino Babers was asked how he would measure success in 2018. He said it will come down to whether SU can finish contests like the Miami defeat that ended on a missed field goal and the LSU loss that featured multiple squandered scoring chances.