FSU Football called wild card in ACC preseason rankings by ESPN

FSU football is the type of team this season who could surprise everyone and make a run at the title – but could also end up with another seven win season.

For almost all of their 26 seasons as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the FSU football program has been considered the favorite to win the title each year. Of late, the Clemson Tigers have taken over the title, but even so the Seminoles have found their way to be in the conversation about who will play in Charlotte each December.

However, expectations have been brought back a little by some after the Noles went 7-6 last season and finished with a big win in the…Independence Bowl over Southern Miss. While FSU football is projected to be much better in 2018, there are not many people who think the Seminoles will bounce back to a divisional crown.

Still, the Noles are going to be a team who will have a say in how things play out in the conference – with ESPN.com ranking the Seminoles at No. 3 in their preseason power rankings (behind Clemson and Miami) and saying that FSU football could end up being the wild card in the conference.

"There are questions about who will helm the offense at QB. There are questions about who’ll step up at receiver, linebacker, DB. There are questions about how long it will take to adjust to Taggart’s system. But what’s certain is that FSU still has ample talent on its roster and there’s a weight off the shoulders of everyone involved now that Fisher’s tenure is in the rearview mirror."

It is true that FSU football could be the team who ends up back in a subpar bowl game or ends up in the conference title game thanks to a schedule that is among the toughest in the country.

Not only do the Seminoles play in an Atlantic Division that had six of the eight teams in the power rankings, but face the Canes and Virginia Tech from the Coastal Division, who finished the 2017 campaign as the top two teams in that group.

Next: ESPN writer gives opinion on ‘Noles ACC positional rankings

There is a general consensus that FSU football SHOULD be better than they were last season and has the talent to do so – whether that will actually take place will be seen right away when they host the Hokies in the season opener in just under a month and a half.