FSU football: 2024 Game-by-game predictions and win shares
By Kelvin Hunt
@ SMU on September 28th
The SMU Mustangs will be the first true road test for the Noles in 2024. It'll be the first ACC game for SMU, who'll come into this game with a chip on their shoulders, looking to prove they belong with the big boys. The only problem is they lost three games in 2023, but all three against Power 5 programs. They finished the 2023 season No. 41 via FEI. They had the No. 41 offense and the No. 30 defense.
Their offense returns experience and talent at several positions, but they struggled against those Power 5 programs. The biggest difference will be in the trenches, though their defense was respectable, allowing 4.59 ypp. There are no early betting lines for this game, though I expect FSU to win it fairly convincingly. SMU's passing attack won't be good enough, only completing 59 percent of its passes in 2023. FSU takes this one 34-17 with a 75 percent chance to win the game.