FSU Football: Top FBS options for home-and-home series in 2019, 2020

FSU football has an opening to fill for both the 2019 and 2020 schedules – so we look at the best available FBS options for a home and home series.

Throughout the 70 seasons of FSU football, there is no secret that the Seminoles have played all over the country and adopted the mantra of playing “anyone, anywhere”. Teams like Michigan, Alabama, Ohio State, USC, Georgia and more have littered the schedule for the Noles over the last seven decades of play.

Florida State Seminoles Football

At the same time, the Seminoles have decided to adopted a schedule of late that – while including plenty of solid non-conference foes like Alabama, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Notre Dame and the yearly game with Florida – tends to include one FCS foes. This year’s game will be against a Delaware State team who has won just two games over the last three seasons, including a winless year in 2016.

At this point, the Seminoles currently have three of their non-conference games filled up for both the 2019 and 2020 seasons. FSU football will play Boise state in Jacksonville, Louisiana-Monroe at home and Florida on the road the first year while facing West Virginia in Atlanta, traveling to Boise State and hosting the Gators in the second.

Now, we know full well that those last two spots are going to be filled by FCS foes that will serve as either an early season warm up or a chill game before the showdown with Florida. That will also be the route since the Seminoles have just five home games scheduled right now for each seasons.

But still…what if FSU football went back to their old way of scheduling quality non-conference series where each team gets a home game.

Currently, there are 13 FBS teams who fit the criteria (either a Power Five conference, state of Florida school or a team the Seminoles have traditionally played in the past) that have an opening on both schedules – so let’s take a look at who the Seminoles could possibly face as well as the likelihood of it actually taking place.

Best Chances – UCF, FIU, Memphis

The Seminoles could likely get away with selling playing either the Knights or Panthers on the road to start things off since it would be another game in the state of Florida with a return game the following year. The Tigers, meanwhile, and the Noles know each other real well from games played for much of the 1970’s and 1980’s between the schools.

Decent Chances – Southern Miss, South Carolina, Vanderbilt

FSU football has quite the past with both the Golden Eagles and the Gamecocks dating back to the time when all three schools were independents. It would be interesting to see a home and home with South Carolina – something that would vault the Seminoles’ strength of schedule. Playing a series with Vanderbilt would be interesting since the programs have never met.

Slight Chance – Houston, Northwestern, BYU, California

The Seminoles  might want some revenge against the Cougars for that Peach Bowl, or they could want to stay away altogether. Florida State has a history with BYU, but it might be time to try something new – while games with the Wildcats and Bears might be interesting for fans, but doesn’t do a lot for the program.

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No Chance – TCU, Alabama, Arkansas

With non conference slates that include Florida, Notre Dame, the Mountaineers and Broncos along with the ACC schedule, the Seminoles aren’t going to schedule another tough game to make things worse. So, any thoughts about a rematch of this year’s opener should leave your head now – along with trips to Fort Worth or Fayetteville.