FSU football checks in at No. 8 in 2023 AP Preseason Poll
By Kelvin Hunt
![TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 19: A Florida State Seminoles helmet is seen after a game between the Florida State Seminoles and the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns at Doak Campbell Stadium on November 19, 2022 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 19: A Florida State Seminoles helmet is seen after a game between the Florida State Seminoles and the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns at Doak Campbell Stadium on November 19, 2022 in Tallahassee, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/9f70465fd36d42c89b6efb03d56a9326c3178ff912f27b5f4c087fe510935526.jpg)
What a time to be an FSU football fan. It finally feels like the hell we endured between 2017-2021 has ended.
FSU is back among the top 10 programs nationally, the best team in Florida, and the top recruiting class in the ACC. However, probably one of the most notable factors in determining if FSU is where it’s supposed to be or not?
It seems like everybody is rooting against FSU for whatever reason. Some folks believe the Noles are overrated going into the 2023 season.
Some folks dislike FSU football because they want to leave the terrible ACC Conference(mostly fans of other programs, but North Carolina-based media types have been ridiculous with their bias on social media).
However, it’s great to see that some of the biased national media didn’t allow that to influence where they placed FSU in their preseason polls.
For the 26th time in program history, FSU will open its season in the top 10
— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) August 14, 2023
🍢 Highest preseason rank since 2017
🍢 Highest-ranked ACC team
🍢 Only ranked team in Florida #NoleFamily | #KeepCLIMBing pic.twitter.com/lHYXnxW14C
I’ll be the first to admit these polls don’t mean anything. It’s a good barometer for what people think of your program, but those same folks don’t know the ins and outs of what happens daily and are only going off a snapshot of what they think they know.
I still don’t understand USC and Penn State getting ranked ahead of FSU when looking at the teams from a holistic standpoint. FSU has a more complete team and more production returning compared to those two. I am surprised to see the media place FSU ahead of Clemson in their rankings, considering FSU hasn’t beaten Clemson since 2014.
Those reasons probably have something to do with the factors in why I’d rank FSU higher than USC and Penn State, but I digress. We’ll find out soon enough how good FSU is when they take on LSU in the season opener on September 3rd.
A win in that game answers all the questions, and it’ll be time to fully embrace the villain role FSU has when they’re at their best.
Next. Major Takeaways From First 2023 Fall Scrimmage. dark