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FSU Football: Website predicts Noles finishing third in ACC Atlantic

By Jason Parker

TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 27: Austin Spence #52 of the Clemson Tigers recovers a fumbled punt by D.J. Matthews #29 of the Florida State Seminoles in the third quarter of the game at Doak Campbell Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - OCTOBER 27: Austin Spence #52 of the Clemson Tigers recovers a fumbled punt by D.J. Matthews #29 of the Florida State Seminoles in the third quarter of the game at Doak Campbell Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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FSU football was looking up at a lot of teams in their division last season, but one website thinks things will be a lot better next season.

In the first 13 seasons that FSU football played in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Seminoles never finished lower than second in the league and brought home the championship 11 times. Since the conference broke into two divisions for the start of the 2005 season, it has been a much different story for the Noles.

In the 14 seasons since the breakup into the Atlantic (home of the Seminoles) and Coastal divisions, Florida State has won just three championships and finished either first or second a total of eight times during that span – with the last time being a second place finish behind Clemson during the 2015 season.

In the three seasons since, FSU football has finished third, sixth and fifth respectively in the seven team division – and only finished that high last season by virtue of their tiebreaker win over Wake Forest, one of just three ACC wins the Seminoles had last season.

Of course, the positive side is that there is nowhere to go but up for the Seminoles when it comes to their place in the division. While not many people both in and out of Tallahassee are predicting a trip to Charlotte, they aren’t predicting being in the bottom half of the Atlantic either.

One of those sites is College Football News, which has the Seminoles coming in at third place when it comes to their pre-spring practice predictions.

"DE Brian Burns left early for the NFL, but the young linebacking corps from last year returns intact, and the secondary should be among the ACC’s best. In all, eight of the top ten tacklers return.And then there’s the offensive side …The line has to be better, and it has to replace several veterans with just two returning starters. The skill guys are in place, with QB Deondre Francois back for his senior year."

In their predictions, the website has FSU football just behind the Clemson Tigers (not even close to being a shock) and the Syracuse Orange (a slight shock), despite the men from New York that blew out the Seminoles last season losing their star quarterback, receiver and two top tacklers.

In 2016, the Noles finished third in the Atlantic in a year that finished with a win in the Orange Bowl while also finishing in that spot during the 2009 season – the final year of Bobby Bowden’s tenure – that ended with a Gator Bowl victory to salvage the winning season streak.

Next. Website ranks Noles among bounce back teams in 2019. dark

FSU football has the talent to finish in the upper half of the division next season – and with games against N.C. State, Louisville and Syracuse all being at home, their chances improve greatly if they can get out of their away trips to Clemson and Boston College with at least a split.

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