Florida State Seminoles
Head Coach: Jimbo Fisher
2015 Record: 10-3
2015 Bowl: 38-24 Loss to Houston at Peach Bowl
2016 Returning Starters: 7 Offense, 5 Defense
Betting Odds:
Odds to win 2017 Championship Game: +1350
Odds to win 2016 ACC Championship: +218
Regular Season over/under: over 10 (+125); under 10 (-145)
Offense
RB Dalvin Cook put together a year for the Florida State Seminoles: He rushed 1,691 yards and shattered Warrick Dunn’s single-season rushing record by over 400 yards. Head coach Jimbo Fisher will ride Cook’s legs again, but the Seminoles cannot count on him to do it all.
At QB, the Seminoles will have Sean Maguire, but he missed spring with an ankle injury and redshirt freshman Deondre Francois got a look as a result. He threw for 246 yards and two TDs with two INTs. Third-stringer Malik Henry threw for 205 yards and two TDs. The Seminoles, as usual, have some depth at QB. Maguire is the No. 1 QB on the depth chart, but the younger options could be better down the line, potentially even this season. Maguire is out for the Ole Miss game.
At WR, the Seminoles will have Travis Rudolph, who caught 916 yards and seven TDs last year. Kermit Whitfield caught for 798 yards and six TDs last year. At TE, Florida State has 6’5” 243, returning sophomore, Ryan Izzo. Auden Tate will also get some reps as the 6’5” WR caught six passes for 100 yards and two TDs in the spring game. Maguire will have his options, and the Seminoles averaged 255.8 passing yards per game last season, ranking No. 38 in the NCAA. Florida State generated 424 yards total offense per game, as well, ranking No. 51.
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Defense
DE DeMarcus Walker will return for his senior season, which renders the Seminoles defensive powerhouses once again.
Last season, Florida State’s defense was still top-notch even if the overall picture was not as good. Florida State held opponents to 17.5 points per game (No. 9) while giving up 336.9 yards per game (No. 19). Both the run protection (145.3 yards per game) and pass protection (191.6 yards per game) were solid, and Walker had 58 tackles and 10.5 sacks last season as a key component of the attacking defense. Josh Sweat had 41 tackles and two sacks, and he will pair with Walker to wreak a lot of havoc this season.
Sweat is a sophomore who is still coming into his own after missing his senior season of high school ball due to a dislocated knee and ACL tear. LB Ro’Derrick Hoskins had 52 tackles last season and will be ready to go. Matthew Thomas impressed Jimbo Fisher with his play at LB, and he could be a starter this season. FSU will use a nickel base, and that works because its secondary is among the best in the nation.
CB Jalen Ramsey left a year early for the NFL, but CB Marquez White allowed just 16 completions last year as a junior. S Darwin James started eight games as a freshman and leads all returning tacklers with 91 last year, as well as 4.5 sacks.
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Special Teams
FSU loses Roberto Aguayo at kicker, a guy who hit 69 of 78 FGA in his college career. However, it replaces Roberto with his younger brother Ricky, and he may be just as good. Things just do not stop at FSU. Logan Tyler will be punter.
Schedule
FSU opens the season in Orlando, FL with a matchup against Ole Miss, and it will take on Charleston Southern in Week 2. Weeks 3 and 4 are road matchups against Louisville and South Florida, and the bulk of ACC play begins Oct. 1 against North Carolina.
The season finale against Florida should be a source of fireworks on Nov. 26. FSU has a really tough schedule, but if it can come out on top against Clemson, Florida, Ole Miss, UNC, Miami and Louisville…then the Seminoles could be there at season’s end.
Outlook
FSU returns the star of its defense and the star of its offense. That is not a bad place to operate from. The schedule is pretty tough, but Florida State will be there in the top-10 this year even if they are not knocking on the door of the BCS Playoffs.
Prediction: 10 wins
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