FSU football: Is back half of the 2020 schedule tougher than expected?

Pittsburgh

The game with the Pittsburgh Panthers was thought to be a toss-up before the season began.

They were terrible on offense last season but featured one of the best defensive lines in the conference.

Florida State Seminoles Football

The Panthers are a tough team to figure out as they began the season (3-0) but have lost their last four games. Two of those four losses were by one point, and they’ve played their last two games without their starting quarterback.

Those two games were against two of the better teams in the conference in Miami and Notre Dame.

Pittsburgh is averaging 4.9 yards per play and has an offense ranked No. 92 and a defense ranked No. 21 according to the latest SP+ advanced metrics.

So, it’s about where I thought they are when it comes to offense and defense, but not having their starting QB gives FSU football an advantage I couldn’t have predicted.

Their backup QB isn’t mobile or accurate, so this should make the FSU defense appear better than they are. Can the FSU offense do anything against the Pittsburgh defense? They are allowing less than two yards per rush, but their top safety has opted out of the season as of a couple of days ago.

It’s still a pick’em game even with the starting QB out because that’s how bad the FSU defense has played.