FSU Football should be ranked ahead of Ohio State entering 2017

FSU football found themselves looking up at two teams in the first Coaches Poll of the 2017 season – and that’s one team too many.

For much of the summer, fans of FSU football have eagerly anticipated the opening rankings for the 2017 college football season, as the Seminoles were expected to be among one of the first teams listed in the polls. Some hoped that the Noles would end up being ranked along with Alabama in the top two, setting up the first No. 1 vs. No. 2 game on opening weekend.

Alas, that won’t be taking place – at least according to the coaches poll.

Released Thursday, the Amway Coaches Top 25 Poll ranked Alabama at the top spot with Florida State coming at…third. That’s right – according to the coaches that vote in the poll (or their administrative assistants), the Seminoles are the third best team in the country behind the Crimson Tide and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

That’s right, an Ohio State team that lost badly to Clemson in the college football playoff last year before losing a boatload of starters is projected, right now, as being a better team than FSU football. It wasn’t even that close, as the Seminoles were 78 points behind the Buckeyes and just 19 points ahead of fourth place Southern Cal.

There are a variety of different reasons why the Buckeyes started ranked higher. Some might point and say J.T. Barrett is a better quarterback than Deondre Francois, while others might he hesitant to go with the Seminoles after all the hype last year that turned into a 5-3 record after October.

Call it being a homer, but there is no way the Noles should start the season below Ohio State.

With the weapons that the Buckeyes lost on both sides of the ball, the Seminoles would have a field day in this game. The defense, led by Derwin James, Josh Sweat, Tarvarus McFadden, Brian Burns and others would be able to contain the Ohio State offense and Barrett – while the Fiesta Bowl last year against Clemson and Deshaun Watson showed how the men form Columbus can’t handle a quarterback who can run and pass like Francois.

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There is a decent chance to that, come December, both teams should be in the College Football Playoff field and possibly be playing each other – which would mean the preseason rankings don’t mean all that much. Still, the pride factor is there and FSU football shouldn’t play third to anyone – especially a team led by Urban Meyer.