ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 21, 2004 — If image is everything, by the looks of it, the Syracuse football team is in trouble.

No, not this year. This year’s over, done, forgotten. Today the Orange will visit Universal Studios and drop its 6-6 season down the Jurassic Park log flume.

Gauging Syracuse’s effort last night at the Champs Sports Bowl against Georgia Tech, the Orange is in trouble next year, too. Yes, SU was handed a lopsided 51-14 loss by the Yellow Jackets. But how can you predict the future based on the present?

Easy, look at the effort (it wasn’t there); look at the players (most will be back); look at the coaching staff (as of 11:35 p.m., each member was still employed). SU’s stinker last night proved that it will struggle next year, or at the very least, gives the Orange a heck of a challenge to fix.

‘We’ve got to be consistent,’ said SU running back Damien Rhodes, looking to next season. ‘We’ve got to get more mental toughness and energy; go out and give it everything every play.’

So that was lacking this year?

‘A little bit. A lot of stuff was lacking.’

Like what?

‘I don’t want to get into it.’

Something was missing this season and it showed on the field. The players know it and the coaches know it. They swear next year will be different, that the mysterious problems will disappear and that this loss will be the creatine to fuel the eight-month training period from now until next September.

But if the effort and team morale persists, there’s little indication that will change. If the Orange can permanently fix the mistakes shown this year, fantastic. But why would anyone believe it based on its performance against Georgia Tech?

There’s little reason, based on the display last night, to think otherwise.

But Rhodes did.

‘(The seniors) left us in pretty good hands,’ Rhodes said. ‘We have a chance to keep on bringing this program on the up.’

But in the first 16 minutes alone, SU demonstrated some of the gaffes that have plagued it this season. Quarterback Perry Patterson threw an interception in the first minute. The SU defense was torched, numerous times, on long routes, and systematically run down on the ground. Defensive backs took bad angles on Tech receivers, resulting in at least one touchdown. And the linebackers looked lost at times, yielding big runs up the middle.

On special teams – where SU employs, not one, not two, but three personal punt protectors – it allowed another punt block. Also, SU racked up a number of personal foul penalties, one of which resulted in a Georgia Tech touchdown.

It all doesn’t bode well for the future, considering the Orange returns six starters on offense and nine starters on defense. Yeah, hopefully, with weeks of spring practice and summer practice, the Orange will get better. The team is young and impressionable and has shown modest promise at times. But where’s the ceiling? Theoretically, football teams should be playing their best ball by the end of the season. Is this, a 51-14 romp to an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent, as good as it gets?

Let’s hope not. Syracuse’s brightest future lies, once again, in its offense. The QB-RB combo of Patterson and Rhodes should be more productive than this year’s unit, even with Walter Reyes leaving. Patterson showed glimpses of being a solid quarterback – not great, but good enough. He seemed quicker than even three weeks ago, when the Orange last played. And once he settled down after that initial interception, he seemed generally accurate.

Next year Rhodes will serve as SU’s franchise player. Since the first game of the season, he’s shown improvement and is poised for a top senior season. But beyond the obvious skill positions, the Orange has a long way to go.

Yesterday it showed in the most alarming way. SU said it will be prepared by next fall, that it will fix its often glaring mistakes. But how much of that damage is irreparable?

They’ll have eight months to find out.