FSU Football: ESPN writer insane to drop Noles from Top 25 after spring

FSU football will more than likely start the 2018 season ranked – but one long time writer for the Worldwide Leader is showing post spring hate.

During the 2017 season, the FSU football team didn’t spend very long with a number by their name – in fact, the Seminoles found themselves ranked in the polls for the final time before their September 30th game against Wake Forest at No. 25 in the coaches poll…before a Hail Mary win knocked them out and kept them out the rest of the way.

Heading into the 2018 season, there are plenty of people who think that last year’s 7-6 finish was a one time deal and the Noles will be back to where they should be – and while the Seminoles won’t be ranked third in the nation like last season to start things off, there is a decent chance they will be ranked…maybe even in the top 20.

However, one longtime college football expert for ESPN is not only sleeping on the Seminoles – he actually dropped FSU football out of his rankings following the spring game.

Mark Schlabach, who has actually written a book on Florida State football before, had the Seminoles ranked No. 22 in his early predictions after both the national title game and two weeks later. In fact, after National Signing Day, he moved the Noles up into the top 20 and into the No. 18 spot.

"After taking over the FSU program in mid-December, former Oregon coach Willie Taggart gave the Seminoles a much-needed boost by closing the recruiting cycle with a flurry…Taggart can only hope that momentum carries through the offseason, as FSU is trying to recover from last season’s 7-6 collapse."

But, after the spring games came to a close, Schlabach moved the Seminoles not just out of the top 20, but out of his whole list. Even worse, he replaced FSU football (along with LSU) with Taggart’s former employer, the Oregon Ducks, and a Texas A&M Aggies team who hired the Seminoles’ former “leader” who went 5-6 before quitting last season.

Next: USA Today writer snubs Noles from post-spring top 25

I know it means nothing since we still have four months to go until FSU football opens the season with Virginia Tech – but what did the Seminoles do last month that was so worth them being dropped? Is this just a case of the Worldwide Leader trying to give a hot take or are the Noles on a downward slide in the eyes of some experts? I guess we’ll have to keep waiting to see who is right.