'Dino-mite': Babers makes Syracuse the team to root for in the ACC

For the second time in the past four seasons, an ACC team took home the national championship, allowing the conference to claim supremacy over the rest of the country.

With its victory in January, Clemson joined Florida State as recent national champions from the conference, and with Louisville returning Lamar Jackson, the Atlantic Division will once again be very strong.

Miami and Virginia Tech are also on the rise, but it's a lesser-known team that should grab your attention - and your support - for the upcoming season.

That team is Syracuse.

Entertaining coach?

Indeed.

There's going to be 500 words here on why you should root for Syracuse in the ACC, but really all that's needed is this video of head coach Dino Babers after the Orange upset Virginia Tech last season.

If that doesn't make you want to run through a wall for somebody, nothing will. Babers' first season with the Orange may have ended with a 4-8 record, but it was entertaining as hell along the way. The former Bowling Green coach brought his hyper-fast offense to upstate New York, and immediately added some swag to Syracuse football.

Crazy home crowd?

Not currently, but maybe.

Thanks to the success of Jim Boeheim's program, Syracuse will always be known as a basketball school. The hoops team packs the Carrier Dome every game - creating one of the best home-court advantages in the country - and there's no reason the football program can't do the same. In Babers' first year, the Orange averaged 32,805 fans in a stadium that seats 49,000. With another strong performance from its high-powered offense, Syracuse could turn its home field into one of the loudest environments in the conference.

Chance to win conference?

Nope.

This is the rare case when it's desirable to cheer for a team that has zero chance of winning its conference. A successful season for the Orange would be seven wins and an appearance in a bowl game, and that's directly related to their struggling defensive unit. While Syracuse can score with the best of them, the team also gives up points at an alarming rate. The Orange finished last season with four straight losses, and gave up an average of 52.5 points during that run. That included an absolutely absurd 76-61 loss to Pitt, which sounds more like a basketball score than football. In a conference with powerhouse programs like Clemson and Florida State, Syracuse is years away from competing for the title - but that's OK.

Star player that's fun to watch?

Definitely.

He's not Lamar Jackson, but Eric Dungey showed at numerous points last season that he's an exciting talent to watch in Babers' offense.

The junior pivot battled injuries throughout the 2016 season but still finished with 2,679 passing yards and 15 touchdowns, while rushing for 293 yards and six scores. Another year under Babers' guidance should only inflate those statistics, and if Dungey remains healthy he could be mentioned in Heisman conversations.