FSU football: Ranking six toughest games remaining on 2021 schedule
By Kelvin Hunt
FSU football entered the halfway point of the 2021 season with a 2-4 record. It’s not an optimal record, but advanced metrics indicate this team has improved over last year and could be better than the 2019 team that finished 6-6 in the regular season.
The Noles have had an interesting first six games and could easily be 4-2 or 5-1 if not for some coaching errors and the offense turning the ball over 13 times in the first five games.
Nevertheless, the team has looked like a more cohesive unit over the past 10 quarters of play. Jordan Travis has secured the starting QB spot, and there is no more two-QB rotation(Thank God).
The running back tandem of Jashaun Corbin and Treshaun Ward has proven formidable, and the offensive line has battled injuries to remain serviceable. The defensive line has been the best unit on the team, and Kalen DeLoach has evolved into a player at the linebacker position.
The FSU secondary seems to have made some strides in recent weeks, with the coaching staff settling on players in roles. The bye-week came at a great time for players dealing with injuries to have a chance to heal.
FSU enters the week with back-to-back wins and a great opportunity for this third straight when UMASS comes to Tallahassee next week.
The backend of the schedule looked daunting in the preseason, but some teams revealed themselves over the first six games.
Injuries have affected some of these teams as well, so FSU could have a shot at winning a couple more of these games than originally thought. Here’s where I’d rank the remaining six games in terms of easiest to most difficult.
No. 6
UMASS
This should be a win as UMASS is the second-worst football team in all FBS who just snapped a 19-game losing streak.