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Otto’s Army has been making its way through the offensive portion of our Football Friday series, and we’ve been asked to project who we think the Syracuse offensive MVP will be this upcoming season. 

Shouldn’t be too difficult, right?  Not quite.  Major questions still have to be answered – not only as to who will be taking snaps this season, but what exactly is the status of running back Delone Carter. 

In case you missed it, Carter was involved in an on campus snowball incident last April that ended with him assaulting another student and being suspended for the remainder of the semester.  Although he is expected to return for the fall semester, he still needs to pass through the pearly white Marrone gates and receive his blessing to suit up for the Orange.

But what if he ends up missing time?  We gathered up the writers to offer their opinions, focused on the following question:

If Delone Carter ends up missing time this season, who will be the Syracuse offensive MVP?

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Dave Cooperman, Otto’s Army

If all things were equal for the Syracuse offense this year – and by equal I mean that if Delone Carter didn’t punch some dude in the face over a snowball – then Marcus Sales would be my projected offensive MVP.  Being that things aren’t equal and Carter’s status is up in the air, then my MVP pick is Marcus Sales in a landslide.

Following the Spring Game, with some help from a 7 catch performance in the season finale against UConn, I have officially been hooked into an IV of Marcus Sales kool-aid.  For an offense that has limited weapons and a defense that will likely force their offense to throw, I expect Sales to finally align his head with his natural ability and become the go-to target for Ryan Nassib.

At the moment, with Carter or not, Syracuse has some depth in the backfield with Antwon Bailey and Averin Collier.  One has to expect each player to carry the ball, hence limiting some of the potential of the other two.  Marcus has no such problem at the WR position where he is the most physically gifted and there is definitely nobody threatening him from the TE spot (see Tom Sullivan’s TE preview this Friday).

Here is my projected stat line for the MVP:  Sales will finish with 52 catches for 735 yards and 7 TD’s. 

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Tim Schlittner, Otto’s Army

I wrote extensively in my Football Friday running back analysis about the need for Delone Carter to be on the field. Quite frankly, I think Syracuse is a borderline bowl team with him and they have a snowball’s chance in hell without him (forgive the pun).

With that said, if Carter is limited or heaven forbid unavailable, I believe the offensive MVP will be Marcus Sales. He was the unquestioned star of the Spring Game and should have plenty of chances in Doug Marrone’s retooled vertical offense. In the finale against Connecticut last year, Sales showed what he could do in a starting role, catching 7 balls for 89 yards – many to sustain drives.

I believe given the chance, this top high school prospect can, and will, begin to shine in college.

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Steve Schaefer, Otto’s Army

The first thing this question supposes is that Delone Carter will be the offensive MVP if he doesn’t miss the season, a position I happen to wholeheartedly agree with, at least as long as we’re talking about a season that shows improvement from last year.

That being said, I think you have to start by looking at the man who should get the lion’s share of carries in Carter’s absence, Averin Collier. Sure Marcus Sales had a gigantic spring game, but who’s getting him the ball? And let’s assume for a second that Ryan Nassib (or Charley Loeb) grabs the starting job by the horns and gets off to a great start, tossing long strikes towards Sales. The only way that can possibly continue is if the offensive line and the running game keep defenses honest. With no Carter, a lot of that weight will fall on Collier’s shoulders.

Hmm, making other facets of the offense better and carrying a heavy burden: sounds like an MVP to me.

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Tom Sullivan, Otto’s Army

For most people who follow the program closely, this is the doomsday scenario for SU this fall. If and when Carter’s on the field, the entire offensive gameplan will revolve around him. It’s not a stretch to say he is the only proven playmaker returning on offense for the Orange – it’s a fact. Carter is an absolutely punishing back for his size who can run the ball up the middle yet has the speed to bounce outside the tackles. Considering the inexperience in the passing game that will line-up at Akron over Labor Day weekend, we were poised to see a serious dose of Delone right from the start of the season. But his future still hangs in the balance after an offseason incident left a fellow SU student a little mashed up in the facial region.

So assuming Carter isn’t in uniform against the Zips, just who steps up? I wrote about him after the Carter incident and I still think Averin Collier has the ability to sufficiently plug the potential hole left by any fallout from the Carter incident. Sure, Marcus Sales had a heck of spring game, but the quarterbacks are completely unproven and that’s going to force Doug Marrone to lean heavy on the run early in the season. Collier has been in the program for over two years and, assuming he’s healthy, has the physical gifts to pick up the slack left by a Carter dismissal or suspension. Antwon Bailey will always be a complimentary third down back so it’s Collier’s time to shoulder the load at halfback. He’ll prove he’s ready. If Carter’s gone, expect a 1,000 yard season out of the kid from Rochester whose time has finally come.

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Euclid 419er, Otto’s Army

Wow.  Hmmm. That’s a tough one.  Really challenges the definition of “MVP.”  I’ll put it this way – after taking a look at the wide receivers last week, albeit a hazy one, there are plenty of opportunities for “Breakout Performer of the Year.”  Marcus Sales had a great spring game, but there’s got to be a reason he’s not slated as a starter.  Alec Lemon and Van Chew do not excite me.  Aaron Weaver has caught a substantial amount of balls last year but that was for 5-6 Hofstra.  The unit is one big “eh” at this point.

As far as quarterbacks go, Nassib didn’t have a strong enough spring to put to bed rumors of Charley Loeb getting a shot at the starting slot if ‘Cuse struggles in its first few games.  The more basic offense could help, but they still have a green receiving corps.

In the backfield, the optimistic observations I have read are about Collier and Bailey being a two–headed monster.  They could knock each other out of the race for MVP.

Which leaves me with my dark horse MVP pick – Nick Provo at tight end.  He could be looked to an awful lot by a QB under pressure.  He’s a big target in the reformed offense.  And he was on the verge of a solid season before injuring himself last year.  You can’t spell Provo without two-thirds of MVP.

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Have a question you want answered?  Easy enough.  Be sure to share your opinions and/or ask future “Ask The Army” questions in the comments section below.