Radio sideline reporter Jed Drenning provides periodic commentary on the Mountaineer football program for WVUsports.com. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @TheSignalCaller.
 
He's been called college football's tent revivalist. Maybe for good reason.
 
"This is a move of faith, belief without evidence," Dino Babers said at the podium 36 months ago when he was introduced as the 30^thhead football coach in Syacuse history. 
 
Three seasons later, Babers has Syracuse ranked for the first time since 2001 and prepared to play for just the seventh 10-win season in program history when the No. 20 Orange (9-3) face No. 16 West Virginia (8-3) in the 2018 Camping World Bowl on Friday. 
 
Blessed with a knack for inspiring, a silver tongue and a penchant for engineering scorched-earth offenses, Babers almost seems like the answer to the question: What would happen if Tony Robbins and Elmer Gantry invited LaVell Edwards for a cup of coffee?  
 
Babers' remarks to his team in the home locker room at the Carrier Dome following an upset win over No. 17 Virginia Tech in 2016 served as a viral internet sensation and a glimpse into his program's future.
 
"We play as one, we win as one!" he declared as players twirled hand towels and banged on lockers in response. "Off the field, on the field – picnics to the classroom – we're together!"
 
His attitude is infectious and his delivery is pitch-perfect, making it easy to understand how his message resonates. There's no denying his talent for rousing the spirit, but it wasn't the words of Dino Babers that got me excited about this football game in Orlando.
 
It was Dana Holgorsen. 
 
When Holgorsen addressed the media on Dec. 19, the purpose of the press conference was two-fold. First, the head coach hashed out the early signing period for West Virginia's latest class of football recruits – the future of Mountaineer football. Second, he offered a scouting report on Syracuse. The more he spoke about the circumstances surrounding this matchup, the more apparent it became that this game itself represents a more-telling-than-normal glimpse into the future of the program as well.
 
And that's a fun thing to consider.
 
Move past the disappointing end to the regular season. Step beyond who we won't be seeing in this game with the absence of All-Big 12 honorees such as Will Grier, Yodny Cajuste and Gary Jennings Jr. What remains is plenty about which to get excited.
 
This is a uniquely intriguing showdown against a very good, ranked opponent – an old rival at that - on a national platform in a tropical setting. The best part? This effort will be spearheaded in part by WVU players who will play critical roles on next year's team . . . and we've seen very little action (or, in some cases, no action at all) from many of those players. 
 
That makes this opportunity a distinctive one for West Virginia.
 
Sure, it would've been cool to watch Grier against Syracuse try to eclipse 300-plus yards for the 20th time in 23 games, but what would that have told us about WVU's offense in next year's opener against James Madison, or how the Mountaineers might look in their week two trip to Missouri in September? Instead, what we'll witness at Camping World Stadium might be a peek through the looking glass as redshirt sophomore Jack Allison is poised to make his first career start, possibly complemented by dual-threat freshman Trey Lowe III.
 
In a span of two years, Allison has gone from mimicking Holgorsen's offense as a member of the Miami Hurricanes scout team in preparation for the 2016 Russell Athletic Bowl, to being handed the keys to the real thing. 
 
For West Virginia, the future is now -- and that's a tantalizing thought.   
 
"I think Jack (Allison) and Trey (Lowe III) both have done a great job. They are both repping. I'm planning on probably playing them both," said Holgorsen. 
 
The coach has observed that kids often ratchet things up when their name is called as a starter. 
 
"Guys get into a backup quarterback mode, and they just plateau for a while. And then once they're no longer a backup quarterback, those guys elevate pretty quickly. I couldn't be happier with what Jack (Allison) is doing out there, he's spinning that thing."
 
But the new car smell doesn't stop there. Other young players will get their shots against the Orange as well, including a couple freshmen on the perimeter.
 
"We have some good, young receivers that have been playing really well. Bryce (Wheaton) and Sam (James) both have practiced really hard, and they're playing really hard, so it gives them an opportunity for them to play."
 
West Virginia's blend of youth and veteran talents like wide receiver David Sills V and tight end Trevon Wesco, to name a few, will be tested to the hilt by an aggressive Syracuse defense. The Orange's U-turn from back-to-back 4-8 finishes in Babers' first two seasons on campus to 9-3 this year has been one of college football's most impressive storylines. When you see a reversal of fortunes that extreme, rest assured turnovers played a role. 
 
After finishing a combined minus-13 in turnover margin in 2016-17 (including an ACC-worst minus-12 last season), this year's Orange squad led the league with a mark of plus-14. Powered by a pressure-oriented defense that leads the nation with 30 takeaways, Babers' team has benefited from this newfound opportunism on both sides of the football – including a shot in the arm on offense.
 
Over the course of 2016-17, the Orange averaged 449 yards per game and 5.4 yards per play, but managed just 27 points per contest, finishing no higher than 75th nationally in scoring. This year, despite only marginally increasing its yardage output (468 per game, 5.7 per play) the 'Cuse offense has rocketed to No. 11 in the country in scoring (41 points per game). That's the direct impact of the extra scoring opportunities afforded by the high-turnover rate of coordinator Brian Ward's SU defense.
 
Syracuse's impressive turnover total is the direct result of their ability to pressure opposing quarterbacks. The Orange's capacity to disrupt against the pass and the run (SU ranks No. 3 in the ACC in tackles for loss) consistently puts opposing offenses behind the chains. This, in turn, spawns desperate third down situations (SU ranks No. 6 nationally in third down defense) and forces teams into taking chances, contributing to the high takeaway total. 
 
After finishing at the bottom of the ACC in sacks in 2016 and 2017, the Orange have racked up 38 of them this year – No. 2 in the conference behind only Clemson. Syracuse uses whatever it takes to get to the passer, utilizing equal parts athleticism, brute force and deception. Proof of SU's aptitude for mayhem is scattered throughout their 2018 game tape.
 
Throw in the coach's video and you'll see evidence of it with Syracuse nursing a three-point lead in the final minutes against a ranked NC State team in October. The Orange dropped eight defenders, employing a three-deep zone with a trio of safeties high and both corners rolled up in cloud coverage. This left SU only three men to rush the quarterback. One of those three, however, was ACC sacks-per-game co-leader Alton Robinson, the crown jewel of the Syracuse pass rush. 
 
Robinson, a twitchy defensive end with an explosive first step, timed the snap perfectly. NC State right tackle Tyrone Riley, who converted from defensive end last offseason, didn't have a chance. Right guard Joe Sculthrope tried to slide out and help Riley but both had underestimated Robinson's burst. After swatting his way past Riley's desperate hand grab, Robinson smashed into All-ACC first team QB Ryan Finley in a blur.
 
The ball got out – but the throw was triggered a beat too fast by Robinson's rush, allowing 'Cuse linebacker Andrew Armstrong to step into the lane and record the first interception suffered by Finley in three career games against the Orange. Five plays later, the Syracuse offense punched it into the end zone to seal the 51-41 victory. 
 
Continue forward with a look at gradeable play No. 33 in the Orange's 54-23 blowout win over Louisville last month. SU offered up a two-deep zone coverage with a basic four-man rush. On the snap, nose tackle McKinley Williams and defensive tackle Kenneth Ruff fired upfield and immediately pushed the pocket, overpowering Cardinals center Cole Bentley and left guard Caleb Chandler. With 611 pounds of his own offensive line collapsing on his ankles, Louisville QB Juwon Pass was forced to make a premature throw and was prevented from following through. 
 
Cards slot receiver Chatarius Atwell was the intended target on a slant off the left hash but, because the pass rush impacted the mechanics of the throw, the ball sailed high into the waiting arms of true freshman free safety Andre Cisco. Cisco, the ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year and the national co-leader with seven interceptions, weaved his way 37 yards to the Louisville three to set up an Orange touchdown. 
 
In many ways, the play was Syracuse's season in microcosm as the Orange have scored 108 points off opponents' miscues (while allowing just 40). But to produce numbers like those, SU throws a lot more at you than conventional three- and four-man pass rushes. They also play the smoke-and-mirrors game, bringing extra defenders from hidden angles to confuse protection schemes.
 
For example, three plays later in the same game against Louisville, after Pass gave way to reserve QB Sean McCormack, the Cards tried to develop a high-low concept into the boundary. McCormack was tasked with reading a corner route by tight end Micky Crum with running back Colin Wilson leaking into the short flat underneath. 
 
The Orange deployed man-free coverage and chopped up the front to the wide side of the field with defensive end Kendall Coleman stunting inside of defensive tackle Josh Black. The real trouble, however, came from the short side in the form of a perfectly timed cornerback blitz by SU's Christopher Fredrick that sabotaged the play before it could materialize. Fredrick jammed McCormack's arm as he was trying to make the throw. The ball floated aimlessly toward the sidelines where linebacker Kielan Whitner made an athletic play, twisting his body to go high and pick it off. Five snaps later, the Syracuse offense was in the end zone again.    
 
Blitzes like this one don't come without risk. Committing extra numbers to a pressure package means giving something up on the back end where the secondary is often left exposed in man coverage. If the blitz doesn't get home quickly enough the result can be a big play, evidenced by the fact that Syracuse is tied for worst in the ACC with 14 pass completions allowed of 40-plus yards. 
 
Allison has a big arm and he'll have chances against Syracuse's blitz packages to push the football downfield. Those opportunities will only work in the Mountaineers' favor, however, if West Virginia's receivers get separation against a physical secondary that gets hands on them and if the WVU protection holds up enough to afford Allison time to diagnose the source of the pressure and effectively get the ball out.
 
As the Orange try and push WVU behind the chains, the Mountaineers will hope to avoid that and stay on schedule. That, of course, means finding some level of success in the run game, particularly on early downs. The good news is West Virginia averaged a chunky 5.3 yards per rush on first down this year . . . the bad news is that average came against defenses forced to respect the very accomplished arm talent of Grier.  
 
Syracuse is versatile defensively. Their base set includes adequate run stoppers populating their front seven (a four-down construct on the defensive line and three upperclassmen at linebacker). To get more speed on the field against offenses inclined to play in space and throw the football, the Orange utilize a nickel look in which redshirt senior Antwan Cordy enters as the fifth defensive back and strong side LB Shyheim Cullen typically remains in the lineup but moves to the weak side. 
 
Facing an untested quarterback like Allison, however, a QB who figures to need the balance that a productive ground game can offer, makes you wonder how the Orange might divide up their various looks. Against Grier, a healthy dose of the nickel would've been somewhat expected, which in turn would've given WVU opportunities to run the football with the personnel and/or numbers in its favor. But against Allison and Lowe? Stay tuned.
 
Either way, Syracuse's turnover-inducing, third-down-driven defense is a perfect counterpart to a fast-paced Orange offense that blows through those extra possessions in quick order, exacting a steep toll on the opposition. SU's slogan offensively is "Orange is the new fast" and they live up to that mantra, operating at a blistering tempo. Syracuse averages 83 snaps per game, a figure that leads all Power 5 teams and ranks No. 2 nationally. The approach works for the Orange as they've scored 50-plus points five times this season, breaking the previous SU mark of four such games set 114 years ago.
 
This gives you some sense of what Tony Gibson's West Virginia defense will be crossing swords with in Orlando. Gibson's crew will be tangling with an Orange offense that runs on jet fuel behind a veteran offensive line boasting 160 combined career starts (No. 8 nationally) and which is led by a big, physical triggerman in Eric Dungey (6-foot-4, 226 pounds) who owns 18 program records and whose game, in many ways, might remind you of Texas signal-caller Sam Ehlinger. With more than 9,000 career passing yards and closing in on an additional 2,000 on the ground, Dungey guides a unit that has scored 489 points (the most in school history), in part, on the strength of 35 rushing touchdowns (also a school record). 
 
And, by the way, Orange place kicker Andre Szmyt has connected on 28-32 field goal tries (88 percent). In fact, this wasn't just the second straight year WVU faced a Heisman Trophy winner in its regular season finale, it's also the second straight year West Virginia will face a Lou Groza Award winner in its bowl game (Matt Gay of Utah last season). 
 
Make no mistake about it, folks, this Syracuse squad is very, very good. Absent the Orange Bowl hosting a College Football Playoff semifinal game this year, Syracuse would be heading there as the second-highest ranked member of the ACC.These guys are the real deal. 
 
That's what makes this opportunity an exciting one for West Virginia. Not just on Friday afternoon, but on into 2019.
 
And so it goes that a WVU season, which began with Grier leading the Mountaineers into action in his native state of North Carolina against Tennessee, will end with Allison doing the same in his native state of Florida against Syracuse.  
 
Here's hoping Allison's homecoming against the Orange goes half as well as Grier's did against Big Orange.
 
I'll see you at the 50.