FSU football has a manageable schedule in the early part of 2018. Which games will be the toughest?
FSU football expectations are a bit lower(or should be) in 2018 after the winning just seven games for the first time since 2009 last season.
What will “Lethal Simplicity” look like at FSU with Willie Taggart?
There are some questions revolving around who will be the starting quarterback and which wide receivers and tight end will be productive.
There are lots of questions on defense with Harlon Barnett taking over for Charles Kelly as the new defensive coordinator. Who replaces Derwin James, Tarvarus McFadden, Derrick Nnadi, Josh Sweat, Matthew Thomas and Trey Marshall on defense?
The great thing is there is an abundance of young talent waiting in the wings, and Willie Taggart has all spring to iron those questions out.
FSU football will open up play at home for the firs time since 2015. They have a friendly schedule up front behind running a gauntlet late in the season.
Miami and Clemson might have new quarterbacks and Louisville lost Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson. NC State lost a ton of talent on both sides too.
It’s going to be interesting to see how this season shakes since it shapes up for the ‘Noles to possibly get early momentum going into the Clemson game at home.
Let’s take a look at the five toughest games on the FSU football schedule for 2018.
Florida
The Florida Gators didn’t make our cut last year, but the Gators return to the list with a new head coach at the helm in Dan Mullen.
Florida has fielded talented teams the past few years but have been absolutely anemic on offense. They haven’t had a good quarterback since Tim Tebow and have lost to the ‘Noles five consecutive years.
I expect Florida to improve offensively under Mullen although Florida could be starting a true freshman quarterback in Emory Jones. However, he fits what Mullen likes to do offensively.
While they take a step forward it’s possible they take a step backward as former coach Jim McElwain wasn’t able to lure in top defensive talent the way his predecessor did in Will Muschamp.
The good news is the Gators have to come to Doak this year and try to win on the road. Ironically, their last win against FSU came at Doak in 2012.
Virginia Tech
The Willie Taggart era will officially get underway when the ‘Noles host the Virginia Tech Hokies the first game of the year.
Virginia Tech will lose a few defensive players to the NFL Draft but will return their starting quarterback from last season.
They finished No. 96 offensively according to S&P advanced metrics last season and No. 9 defensively.
They should be better offensively but could take a step back defensively, but Bud Foster is one of the best defensive coordinators in the nation.
I put him here because they’ll have all off-season to prepare for FSU. The good part about it is the same will be true of FSU, and the ‘Noles have more true game footage to use in preparation.
Virginia Tech won’t have anything to look at other than what Taggart and company have done at other places. It still should be one of the toughest games on the schedule.
Miami
The Miami Hurricanes make their appearance in the No. 3 spot after finally beating the ‘Noles for the first time since 2009 last season.
They won’t admit it but it took pure luck and FSU starting a true freshman quarterback for it to happen. There will be no streaks going in favor of Miami in this series as they could be starting a true freshman quarterback.
They’ve lost a lot from their defense that was overrated last season due to a high volume of turnovers. They haven’t been able to stop the run under Manny Diaz and Taggart will look to run it down their throat.
However, Miami as infused their program with better talent since Mark Richt took over and the game will take place at Doak South.
I have to give credit where it’s due, Miami has played the ‘Noles tough the past few years even though their was a talent gap between the two.
The gap is still there but not quite as large as it was with Al Golden as their coach. The 2018 game could be telling about where these two programs are going.
Notre Dame
The ‘Noles will travel to Notre Dame two weeks after playing Clemson and a week after traveling to NC State.
As we mentioned, NC State loses a lot of talent but Carter-Finely Stadium is always a tough place to play for the ‘Noles.
Those two games make traveling to Notre Dame even tougher as the team will likely be dealing with the bumps and bruises from two physical games back-to-back.
Not to mention Notre Dame should field a very good football team. A team that won 10 games a year ago.
The last time the ‘Noles played Notre Dame was the 2014 season that was an instant classic with Jameis Winston leading FSU to a come from behind win.
Clemson
The No. 2 team on our list last season moves back into the No. 1 spot. The Clemson Tigers have become the biggest obstacle to FSU winning the ACC over the past three years.
The ‘Noles have lost to the Tigers three consecutive times, but have been in position to win all three games.
The biggest difference in all three games has been quarterback play. Clemson has Deshaun Watson in two of those games and the ‘Noles has to play a true freshman last season against one of the best defenses in college football.
The bad news is Dabo Swinney somehow got all those guys to return to Clemson instead of entering the NFL Draft. The good news is the game will be in the Doak, and Clemson could very well be starting a true freshman of their own in Trevor Lawrence.
Next: 8 Players FSU Can Sign For 2018 Recruiting Class
If FSU can beat Clemson it should give them a clear path to its first ACC title since 2014.