No. 8 Florida State: Can this young team win a 4th-straight ACC?
Dr. Saturday will unveil its preseason Top 25 team-by-team during the next 25 days. This list is based on returning starters, schedule and prospects. However, we all know that once the games begin, things can change very quickly. Still, we thought we’d give our best guess heading into the 2015 season.
No. 8 Florida State
2014 record: 13-1, 8-0 ACC
Returning starters: 4 offense, 7 defense
[Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football: Sign up and join a league today!]
2015 Outlook: Perhaps no team is looking forward to a relatively boring football season than the Florida State Seminoles.
If you've been paying attention this offseason, you know what we mean. Seminoles players (both current and former) were in the news way too often for off-field transgressions. The news was so significant that the school took the steps of creating a course to teach athletes how to behave off the field.
But here's the thing. Given Florida State's expectations entering the 2015 season, the possibility of a fairly non-descript football season is quite slim. The Seminoles are fully expected to be contenders for the ACC title and the College Football Playoff. And while missing the latter shouldn't be considered a failure, anything less than the conference title could be despite the youth on the team. Only five projected starters, when counting punter Carson Beatty, are seniors in 2015.
The Noles were the No. 3 seed in the inaugural College Football Playoff despite being undefeated because of an easy schedule in the relatively soft ACC. If Florida State goes undefeated in 2015, it'll be a bigger accomplishment.
The Seminoles two biggest games are on the road and within two weeks of each other. On October 24, FSU goes to Georgia Tech to play the team that gave it a scare in the 2014 ACC Championship Game. November 7, the Noles play Clemson at Clemson. The same Clemson that we have at No. 9 in our rankings.
By the time those two games roll around, Florida State should know what it has in quarterback Everett Golson, the graduate transfer from Notre Dame. While Golson hasn't officially been declared the starter over Sean Maguire, it's likely he'll be the guy by the time of FSU's first ACC game on September 18.
And the Seminoles should also know the status of running back Dalvin Cook, the player who the team took team pictures with and without. Cook is accused of punching a woman and is currently indefinitely suspended. His trial is set to begin on August 24. If he is convicted, or the team keeps him off the team for all or part of the season, Florida State's number of returning offensive starters drops to three.
If Florida State loses both games against Clemson and Georgia Tech – or one of them to miss the ACC Championship Game – the season will be viewed as a disappointment by some fans. Given the lofty expectations established over the last couple of seasons, it's natural. But FSU is in an enviable position. Not only are the Seminoles good enough to possibly win the ACC in 2015 and sneak into the CFP, they're setting up to be a title favorite in 2016.
Player to watch: Jalen Ramsey, DB
While the offense is in a state of transition, The defense returns seven starters and should be one of the best in the country. One of those starters is Ramsey, who had 79 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions as a sophomore in 2014.
He should be one of the best cornerbacks in the ACC – and in the country – and is also adding another dimension to his game in 2015. He's going to return kicks for Florida State along with Kermit Whitfield.
If you're familiar with the Seminoles' roster, you'll know that Ramsey and Whitfield both wear No. 8. So Ramsey is going to wear a different number on kickoff returns if both he and Whitfield are on the field at the same time. Why? Well, Whitfield is an offensive player. He wouldn't have much time to switch if he's needed in one of Florida State's next plays.
Breakout player: Travis Rudolph, WR
With the departures of Rashad Greene and Nick O'Leary, Rudolph is Florida State's leading returning receiver. His stats in 2014 – 38 catches for 555 yards and four touchdowns – were pretty good, But if he's going to be a No. 1 receiver in 2015, they'll have to improve drastically.
Mind you, we're not putting Greene-level expectations (99 catches for 1,365 yards) on Rudolph, but the transition of Golson to starter will be easier with dependable weapons on the outside. Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher has said he's liked what he's seen from his receivers so far, including Rudolph.
"I thought on his first day he started off a little slow and I think he was putting a lot of pressure on himself", Fisher said via FSUNews.com. "He's gotten relaxed and started playing, and in the last couple of days he's (run) some really nice routes. We're moving him around and doing things that I'm really pleased with."
Miss one of our Top 25? No. 9 Clemson, No. 10 Oregon, No. 11 Georgia, No. 12 Notre Dame, No. 13 UCLA, No. 14 LSU, No. 15 Georgia Tech, No. 16 Arkansas, No. 17 Ole Miss, No. 18 Arizona State, No. 19 Oklahoma, No. 20 Arizona, No. 21 Tennessee, No. 22 Missouri, No. 23 Stanford, No. 24 Boise State, No. 25 Wisconsin.
For more Florida State news, visit Warchant.com.
- - - - - - -
Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
