Syracuse and Pittsburgh, two programs in their ACC infancy, now have different athletics directors leading them into their respective futures than the men who delivered them to their new league home. This morning, we take a look at why Mark Coyle is a good fit at Syracuse. Later this afternoon, Scott Barnes shares his perspective on Pittsburgh.

Mark Coyle has a good resume. Better than good, actually. We know he can help guide a winning football program. We know he has spent more than enough time at a hoops crazy school. We know he can fund raise. We know he can deliver a scarred athletics department out of NCAA probation and into the clear with nary a subsequent issue.

Those experiences all make Coyle more than qualified to lead Syracuse. But what cinches his hire is his demeanor. Syracuse needed to hire a strong leader with strong communication skills, but more importantly, it needed to hire an athletic director with a much more low-key approach as the program works to restore its reputation.

That's just where Syracuse is right now. Syracuse basketball sat out the NCAA tournament this past season and faces additional NCAA sanctions for various violations -- including failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance. The football program, which was forced to vacate wins as a result of the NCAA investigation into the athletic department, has three winning seasons over the last 13 years.

However well-intentioned, the recent fiasco over the decision to retire/unretire/retire the No. 44 reflected poorly on the school, too.

These three headlines over the last 12 months have shown how badly Syracuse needs an image makeover. A strong leader must take charge, without any of the bravado that oftentimes characterized predecessor Darryl Gross. To fix that, Syracuse absolutely needed an athletic director who could work behind the scenes to roll up some sleeves and get to work.

Because there is absolute work to be done. Syracuse finished ninth among ACC schools in the Learfield Sports Directors' Cup final standings, at No. 47 overall.

"The focus should always be on the student-athletes," Coyle said when asked why he employs a behind-the-scenes approach. "I want to put our student-athletes and staff in position to have success. That's what gets me excited. That will be my style moving forward."

It is a style that has served him well as athletic director at Boise State and deputy athletics director at Kentucky. But Syracuse poses its own challenging circumstances. He has to begin to transform the program's image by challenging how things have been done there.

Coyle cannot be a caretaker. He must be transformative force.

While the school already has announced succession plans for basketball coach Jim Boeheim, Coyle cannot be afraid to assert himself with one of the most high-profile coaches in the country to ensure the future of Syracuse basketball.

The same goes for football, which has not sustained winning results for more than a decade. Geographically isolated from the core of the ACC and also in the toughest division, making football a winner will be far more difficult. Judging coach Scott Shafer will be, too, off a 3-9 season. But being low-key cannot mean shying away from the tough choices.

Coyle showed he could continue to produce a football winner at a school with more limited resources. He made a great football hire in Bryan Harsin. He listened to what his coaches needed. Then he went out, raised the money, and gave it to them. Boise State basketball blossomed under his watch, too.

These should all be encouraging signs for the Syracuse faithful, eager for football to show sustained success. Now we'll see whether his approach works.