FSU football: 5 major takeaways from 2024 football schedule

Bye Weeks Favorable

As I mentioned, having the bye-week after the Boston College game was essential. The Noles will need to recover from the jet lag overseas from the Georgia Tech game and play Boston College on a Monday night. Those two extra days will help greatly, and the bye-week afterward gives the Noles a chance to recover from a battle with a Boston College team that's historically a physical unit to go against. The bye week after the Clemson game gives the team a chance to recover from a four-game stretch and what will likely be a very physical game against Clemson.

It's not a bye-week, but playing against Duke on a Friday night will give the Noles an extra day to recover before heading to Doak South to play the rival Miami Hurricanes. The Hurricanes also must play Louisville on the road the week before the Noles without having the extra day to recover. I wish the third bye-week would have been somewhere else, but it coming after the Notre Dame game essentially gives FSU two bye-weeks before hosting the rival Florida Gators(sorry Charleston Southern).

First Glance Floor and Ceiling

As I mentioned, it's too early to predict most of these games. I can provide a roundabout sense of how they'll go, but we have no idea about team dynamics, injuries, and other important factors. I know FSU will have a talented team, a more talented team than the majority of the teams on the schedule. I think it's fair to say Mike Norvell rarely takes L's to lesser-talented teams. FSU has seven games at home, one of those against one of their toughest opponents. On the surface, I'd say there are three definite wins, seven most likely wins, and likely two toss-up games.

Barring something catastrophic, I'd say the floor is 8-4 at the absolute worst. I'd say 10-2 or 11-1 is most likely, with the absolute ceiling at 12-0. I'd say 10-2 or 11-1 is more likely than 8-4. However, there is nobody on this schedule FSU football can't run through if this team gels how I think they can. The good news is the first few games should have favorable outcomes while allowing FSU to find its identity for the tougher games on the back-end. This schedule could have been worse, but the ACC didn't screw the Noles. It's manageable, no doubt. There' no reason they can't make the 12-team playoff.