FSU Football: Preseason Power Rankings For This Year’s Opponents
By Brad Johnson
We rank the 12 opponents that FSU football will face during the 2016 regular season in order of which games will be toughest.
The Florida State Seminoles have January 9th, 2017 circled on their calendar. The date will be when the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship game is played – and for the Seminoles, anything but an appearance in that game would be considered a failure.
There is good reason for the high expectations FSU football has in 2016, as Jimbo Fisher’s team is returning an outstanding 20 starters this season, including the entire offense. Before they can book their hotels in Tampa for the title game, the Seminoles will have to face 12 scheduled opponents and win the ACC Championship in the first weekend of December.
Here’s a breakdown of the 2016 regular season schedule, ranked from least tough opponent to the most.
No. 12 – Charleston Southern Buccaneers (2015 Record: 10-3)
This is one of those cupcake games that are planned early in the season. Usually it could be the opener, but since FSU has a tough opponent week 1, they get rewarded with Charleston Southern in week 2. The point spread could be well above 40 points.
No. 11 – Boston College Eagles (2015: 3-9)
The Eagles went 0-8 in ACC play last season. Every ACC team cannot wait to play Boston College. Only one outcome here, let’s hope there’s no overlooking of the opponents.
No. 10 – at Syracuse Orange (2015: 4-8)
Similar to Boston College, the Seminoles aren’t thinking twice about this game. The only negative is the hefty travel all the way up to Syracuse late in the season.
No. 9 – Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2015: 3-9)
After coming off two straight weeks of playing North Carolina and Miami, a game against the Deacons at home might seem like a bye.
No. 8 – at NC State Wolfpack (2015: 7-6)
This game will come after a huge game against Clemson, so hopefully the Seminoles don’t come out too high or too low against the Wolfpack. There’s not much to worry about, as FSU won 34-17 last season.
No. 7 – at USF Bulls (2015: 8-5)
The USF Bulls have a legitimate running back in Marlon Mack, but the loss of three offensive linemen and defensive coordinator Tom Allen is too much for the Bulls to overcome in order to take down the Seminoles.
No. 6 – North Carolina Tar Heels (2015: 11-3)
In their first ACC home game, the crowd at Doak Campbell will be riding higher than Chief Osceola. UNC has four starting offensive linemen and wide receivers returning, but a new quarterback and a weak defense give the Seminoles an advantage.
No. 5 – Florida Gators (2015: 10-4)
After two very easy games against BC and Syracuse, the Seminoles finish the season against in-state rival Florida Gators. Sure, the Noles made easy work of the Gators last year, and in general have been in the driver seat over the last few years; but just when you start to get comfortable is when you opponent can capitalize. Jimbo and company must remain steadfast in what will hopefully be one of the last few steps towards a CFB Playoff run.
No. 4 – Ole Miss Rebels (2015: 10-3)
The opening game will be no walk in the park as the Seminoles take on SEC contenders the Ole Miss Rebels in a “neutral field” site in Orlando. Redshirt freshman quarterback Deondre Francis will be the starter, with fifth-year senior quarterback Sean Maguire’s out as he recovers from foot surgery. This is only the second game between the two teams with the first coming in 1961.
No. 3 – at Miami Hurricanes (2015: 8-5)
This longstanding rivalry will begin a new chapter with first-year head coach Mark Richt now in the mix. The Hurricanes are returning their entire offense including highly touted NFL prospect QB Brad Kaaya. Again, even though it’s been over a half decade of dominance versus Miami in the 2010’s, a rivalry game on the road is never easy.
No. 2- at Louisville Cardinals (2015: 8-5)
The Seminoles will go on the road for the first time this season when they face Louisville. Similar to the Seminoles, the Cardinals have the vast majority of their starters returning, a big reason for their high preseason ranking. With dual-threat QB Lamar Jackson on his home turf, the Seminoles will be tested in this game.
No. 1 – Clemson Tigers (2015: 14-1)
Come October 29th, this game very well might feature the #1 and #2 teams in the country. The Tigers are national title contenders, and in what could be the game of the year in college football, they will have to go through Tallahassee to claim the top spot in the ACC. This will be by far the toughest game for FSU, as Clemson beat them 23-13 last season.