We are all talking about this game. About Walter Reyes’ fumble. About Collin Barber’s two missed field goals. About the non-safety that could have been. About Jared Jones’ dropped ball.

But as it turned out, the Syracuse football team lost to No. 8 Florida State on Saturday, 17-13, before 40,539 at the Carrier Dome.

The Orange suffered a four-point loss to one of the best teams in the nation. To historically one of the best programs ever. And all we are wondering is what could have been. Wondering how close Syracuse really was to upsetting the No. 8 team in the country.

How close? So close that, not only should SU have won, it whiffed on its opportunity five times. So close that Syracuse should have led by two touchdowns after the first quarter. So close that SU should have blown Florida State away.

But that we’re even talking about these things, mistake after heart-thumping, muscle-twitching mistake, is a testament to the Syracuse football team.

‘They were looking at us like, ‘You’re supposed to be losing,’ ‘ center Matt Tarullo said. ‘A couple guys even said something. ‘You’re not going to stay in this game.’ They didn’t give us a chance.’

Then again, no one did. If Syracuse lost Saturday’s game by 70 points, few people would have been surprised.

And yet, there SU stood – leading going into halftime. And having blown the opportunity to bury the Seminoles.

It is easy to blame Syracuse’s nauseating running game for the loss. Reyes and Damien Rhodes combined for 20 yards on 21 carries. With SU trailing by a touchdown, 17-10, with 11:30 left in the game, Syracuse fans even booed Rhodes after FSU stuffed him for a 1-yard loss. The next play, a screen pass to Reyes, lost three yards. More boos.

But Reyes’ worst gaffe came with 58 seconds left in the first half. At the FSU 7-yard line, Reyes fumbled the ball, turning it over.

With it, he fumbled the game.

‘I wish I could have it back,’ Reyes said. ‘I want to say someone inside punched the ball up, then I tried to bring it up to hold it. It’s my fault. Perry had nothing to do with it.’

Reyes’ fumble – just one of many blunders.

Jones, a wide receiver, dropped a pass over the middle on a third-and-5 at the FSU 24. A touchdown there, and SU jumps on top in the first half, 17-3.

‘I gotta hang on to that when I hit the ground,’ Jones said. ‘It just bounced out.’

So many times, it happened. Barber, a reliable field goal kicker, missed two field goals inside 42 yards.

An FSU muffed punt dribbled into the end zone, where the Seminoles recovered. Could have been an SU safety. Called a touchback.

Refs ruled the ball’s momentum brought it into the end zone. Since a player didn’t run it into the end zone, FSU retained possession.

SU lost nine points right there. Plus six potential points from Barber’s foot. SU could have buried FSU.

Which is shocking. FSU’s players were so much more athletic than SU’s. FSU put up 427 yards, compared to just 265 for SU. FSU running back Leon Washington looked like an electron, bouncing to the outside with such ease.

‘It’s discouraging,’ Reyes said. ‘We should’ve won this game. If I wouldn’t have fumbled and we score a touchdown there, we’d have won the game.’

That Syracuse even led FSU is shocking. That we’re talking about SU’s mistakes – incredible.