FSU Football: Stat says Noles playing toughest 2018 schedule in nation

FSU football is not going to have any breaks during the 2018 season – and one stat shows they have the toughest road of any FBS team in this campaign.

In the first season for new FSU football head coach Willie Taggart, the football gods did him no favors with a schedule that other schools across the country wouldn’t wish on their worst rivals. The Seminoles have had no problems facing off against major programs and playing a stacked slate, but the 2018 campaign might just be the toughest of them all.

The Noles will face four new opponents from their 2017 slate – and, in almost every case, it’s an upgrade in competition. While Florida State does trade down from the national champion Alabama  Crimson Tide to Notre Dame, upgrades of Northern Illinois (bowl team) from Louisiana Monroe, Samford from Delaware State and Virginia Tech from Duke make things tougher.

In fact, FSU football looks like they are going to be facing – entering the season – the toughest schedule in the entire FBS. Famed college football insider Phil Steele posted on Twitter the numbers showing the Seminoles slightly edging out two other power programs based on the 2018 opponents’ records from last season.

Steele posted the numbers on his website for all 130 FBS teams based on the formula used by the NCAA – which is even more impressive considering that FSU football is the ONLY team in the country who plays 10 teams with winning records last season and 10 teams who went to the postseason in 2017 (nine bowl teams and Samford playing in the FCS playoffs).

In fact, one look would show that the two teams who are really holding the Seminoles’ strength of schedule back from being even better are the Syracuse Orange, who went 4-8 last season with four of the losses being by one possession, and the Florida Gators, who brought a 4-7 record to the table with two wins and three losses being by one possession.

Everyone knew that things were going to be difficult for the first year of the #DoSomething era under Taggart in Tallahassee – with experts saying this FSU football team being able to be anywhere from 11-1 or 10-2 to having as many as five losses with a slate that includes home games against VaTech, Clemson, Florida and road games with Miami and N.C. State.

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That being said, the Seminoles have never backed down from a challenge before and have played plenty of tough opponents in their day – so it’s time to buckle up the chin straps and get ready for the 2018 season.