Syracuse football head coach candidates revealed after firing of Dino Babers

In the wake of Dino Babers' firing, the Syracuse football team has a list of potential candidates to take over the job

After eight seasons and only two bowl game appearances, the Syracuse football team has officially moved on from head coach Dino Babers. The announcement came earlier this morning, less than 24 hours after the Orange lost their sixth game in their last seven contests, dropping their record to 5-6 after a 4-0 start to the season. Just hours after Babers firing was announced, a list of potential replacements is already out there, courtesy of ESPN College Football insider Pete Thamel.

“Early names for Syracuse in no order: Jason Candle, Bronco Mendenhall, Doug Marrone, Tony White, Al Golden, Curt Cignetti, Jim Knowles, Sean Lewis, Bob Chesney, Liam Coen and Teryl Austin.”

Thamel didn't go as far as putting them in any particular order, and I won't either, but just looking at the list of names, there were five specifically that stood out:

I: Teryl Austin – Austin is a former Syracuse defensive backs coach who was on the staff from 1996-98, the last time the Syracuse football team was truly relevant. He's spent 20 of the last 21 years in the NFL, on the staffs of three teams that went on to play in the Super Bowl (Seattle in 2005, Arizona in 2008, and Baltimore in 2012).

II: Jim Knowles – Knowles has been a defensive coordinator at the college level since 2010, including the last two seasons as the DC at Ohio State. His only previous head coaching experience was in upstate New York at Harvard, but his 26-34 record isn't all that inspiring.

III: Sean Lewis – Lewis is the co-offensive coordinator in Colorado, though his status on the staff has been a topic of conversation over the course of the season. He was highly regarded during his tenure as head coach at Kent State, despite a subpar 24-31 record.

IV: Jason Candle – Like Sean Lewis, Candle has spent his career as a head coach in the MAC. Unlike Lewis, Candle's 64-33 record at Toledo elicits much more confidence.

V: Curt Cignetti – Probably the “hottest” name on the list, though Appalachian State splashed some cold water on Cignetti yesterday with their road win over James Madison. Cignetti is 51-9 at James Madison and 118-34 in his career as a head coach. Syracuse would be his first big job, and that's why I think Cignetti is the guy you target if you're ‘Cuse.