FSU football: A look back my 2020 schedule predictions

(You can see the original slide here)

November 7-Pitt-Original: W Current: W- I’m going to keep this the way it is. Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback is injured, and it’s questionable that he will be back in time for the game against FSU football.

I think the extra week adds the ability to prepare for their strong defense and helps a lot for a new and improved offense. I think that will hold, and the bye gives the team the ability to get healthy with Nasirildeen and Terry.

"This matchup will be a defensive battle."

The defense has been hot and cold from play to play and quarter to quarter. If we get a halfway decent performance from them we could pull out a UNC type shootout win because I don’t think the Pitt offense will be very good due to their injuries. FSU wins 30-21.

November 14– NC State- Original: W Current: W- I am unchanged from this one as well.

"This is always a tough game for the Seminoles. They have been our crux so often in recent history that it’s odd they aren’t a larger rival for us. I think, with all the fans, this is an L, but they are trending downward."

All of that remains true. We are getting some injury luck as their starting quarterback as well, unfortunately for the season, and they won’t be the same team until he is back. FSU wins 31-17.

November 21-Clemson- Original: L Current: L- Clemson remains unchanged.

"If we start bad, we get beat down early. If we start well, we have a competitive game until the fourth quarter, and we get beat down then."

Last week Clemson showed that they could have one of their worst weeks and win handily, and I don’t think we will be blessed by another one of those this season. I am an optimist, so of my two scenarios posed, I’ll go with the latter. FSU loses 45-28.

November 28-Virginia- Original: W Current: W- This one is hard to project. The Cavaliers were decent last season, nearly played in the ACC Championship, and beat FSU with a late red zone stop.

This year, they are inconsistent, to say the least. Virginia beat Duke in week one but has been on a four-game losing streak. Losing by 18 to Clemson, then two straight 17 point losses, and most recently a five-point loss against Miami.

The only opponent shared by the Cavaliers and the Seminoles is Miami, (a game I’ll try not to mention again), so if we looked solely at that, would mean an FSU loss. I do not think that’ll happen after they got beat by 17 by both NC State and Wake Forest, and are likely to get walloped by UNC. I favor FSU here because they nearly won when Virginia was good. FSU wins 38-22 (staying with the 17 point margin theme).

December 5-Duke- Original: W Current: W – I think most of my analysis from the pre-season still holds. They are the kings of the two-score games losing or winning (mostly losing) most of their games by margins between 10-14 with the two outliers, one 18 point loss to Virginia, and the other a 20 point loss to Boston College.

The Chase Brice transfer hasn’t panned out for the Blue Devils, and his 11 interceptions haven’t helped. The Blue Devils also have unfortunately lost their starting center to surgery, and cornerback Mark Gilbert opted out this week to prepare for the NFL. Neither loss helps the team much as both position units (o-line and defensive back respectively) have struggled. FSU wins 42-16.