FSU football: 3 ways 2024 team is similar to 2015, 3 ways they're better

More Disruptive Defense/Better on Third Down

As good as the 2015 defense was, they were not great on third down and were not too disruptive outside of Demarcus Walker. One narrative was the 2015 defense didn't face many great offenses that season, which was helpful. That defense only had 76 tackles for a loss and 32 sacks. Walker was the only guy with double-digit sacks at 10.5, and the next closest guy was Derwin James at 4.5 sacks.

FSU's defense was outstanding on third down in 2023, allowing conversions at a 28.79 percent rate. They had 100 tackles for a loss and 46 sacks. I expect the 2024 version to be in the same ballpark in all three areas. The number of sacks may be down some, but they should be excellent against the run, and the secondary will be outstanding again. FSU should have multiple guys with 5+ sacks easily and teams won't convert anywhere near 39 percent against this unit.

Parting Thoughts

I hope you can see the similarities and where FSU should be better. Despite some of the flaws on the 2015 team, they could have won all three games they lost. They lost on a crazy play at the end of the game against Georgia Tech, led Clemson at halftime, and had to play its backup QB in the bowl game.

The 2024 team will be better overall, deeper, and will have a shot to win every game as well.