Here are Phil Steele's, Lindy's Sports' predictions of Florida State football's season

We are 45 days out from the start of the 2023 college football season and the presses are rolling!

College football experts Phil Steele and Lindy's Sports are more than ready for the season as they have both released extensive previews for the upcoming season.

Both experts offered their takes on Florida State, with Lindy's ranking the Seminoles at No. 6 and Steele at No. 7.

Here is how Lindy's and Steele believe FSU will do this season.

More: Florida State football roundtable: Predicting the Seminoles' 2023 season game-by-game

Similar starting lineups

For the most part, Steele and Lindy's agreed on starting lineups. Quarterback Jordan Travis is predicted to lead the offense while Trey Benson holds down the top running back spot.

Ja’Khi Douglas and Johnny Wilson lock in two of the three wide receiver spots.

When it came to the third wide receiver, Lindy's went with Kentron Poitier while Steele predicts Keon Coleman. There was also a difference at tight end as Lindy's predicted Kyle Morlock and Steele went with Jaheim Bell.

Poitier had an impressive Spring Showcase, making a handful of big plays off of passes from multiple quarterbacks, proving to head coach Mike Norvell and staff that he is a viable option to start.

Coleman had nearly 800 receiving yards last season with Michigan State as its top wide receiver. Statistically, he is the more likely pick, but it all depends on how he settles into FSU's offense.

At tight end, Steele went with another strong transfer to start with Bell, who had 231 receiving yards and 261 rushing yards last season at South Carolina.

He'd be the more likely choice compared to Lindy's pick, Morlock, who had 446 receiving yards last season with Division II Shorter University.

On defense, Steele and Lindy's agreed with the exception of three picks. At defensive tackle, Lindy's went with Joshua Farmer while Steele picked Braden Fiske. Farmer played all 13 games last season, recording 15 tackles and a QB hurry. This would be Fiske's first season at FSU, transferring in from Western Michigan.

At nickleback, Lindy's went with Greedy Vance while Steele had Jarrian Jones. Both put up similar numbers, with Vance playing one more game than Jones. This could be a starting position that could be up for grabs.

At free safety, Steele predicted Kevin Knowles II will start while Lindy's said Shyheim Brown. This could be another up-for-grabs pick as both had similar numbers.

Lastly, on special teams, Steele surprisingly predicted East Tennessee transfer and Tallahassee native Tyler Keltner to start at kicker over veteran Ryan Fitzgerald.

While Fitzgerald had a rougher start last season, he found some consistency toward the end.

Big on Jordan Travis, weary of depth

It's safe to say that Travis has brought a lot of attention to FSU.

Coming off a strong junior season and now in early Heisman Trophy contention, the expectations are high for the Seminole quarterback.

Steele praised Travis's impressive stat line from last fall, but also highlighted Tate Rodemaker as a "quality backup with great command of the offense".

He also predicted that the Seminole offense will generate 39.2 points per game, FSU's highest since the 2013 National Championship season.

Lindy's highlighted how Travis's announcement to return likely brought back names like Benson and Wilson. Lindy's added that it wouldn't be surprising to see Travis in the Heisman race "with the ACC wide open" and talked about Travis's ability to "not make many mistakes".

While Steele complimented the linebacker group, saying FSU could earn a first or second-team ACC linebacker for the first time since 2015, Lindy's was more critical. It questioned the depth of the linebacker corps after losing Stephen Dix Jr and Brendan Gant.

Lindy's said while Kalen DeLoach and Tatum Bethune have developed, FSU may have to lean on freshmen.

Lindy's commented on depth in relation to injuries as well, referencing the Seminoles' three-game losing streak with a handful of big names out.

LSU, Clemson biggest challenges for Seminoles

Both Steele and Lindy's agreed that LSU and Clemson will be the biggest factors in determining how good FSU will be this season.

Lindy's even went as far as to say "if FSU can beat LSU and ace the test against Clemson, why wouldn't they just run the table?"

The Seminoles have won five straight against LSU, but its win over Duquesne was their first season opener victory since 2016.

On the Clemson game, Steele said while FSU has lost seven straight to the Tigers, it narrowly came back to win in their last meeting. Lindy's made a similar comment in that "the Seminoles have been close in recent years."

Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com or on Twitter @jackgwilliams. 

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Here is how Phil Steele, Lindy Sport's think FSU football will do this season