Worst Case
These are the games where FSU will be an underdog or potential underdog depending on how the first few games shake out:
- Notre Dame
- Clemson
- Miami
These are the games where FSU will be sizable betting favorites(10+ points):
- Georgia Tech
- Boston College
- Duke
- California
- Charleston Southern
- Florida(counting on UF imploding and Billy Napier getting fired)
These are the games where it’ll likely be a toss-up or less than a -9.5 betting spread:
- North Carolina
- SMU
- Memphis
The worst-case scenario is the Noles lose the opener against Georgia Tech and their first true road test against SMU. That would put FSU at 3-2 going into the Clemson game. A loss against Clemson would all but eliminate them from a shot at playing for the ACC title. FSU would beat Duke and then go on the road and play Miami. A loss there would have FSU staring at 4-4 going into a game against North Carolina. A win there puts FSU at 5-4, but a loss on the road against Notre Dame puts FSU at 5-5 with games remaining against Charleston Southern and Florida. I expect FSU to win both of those games, but a loss against the latter would have FSU finishing at 6-6, barely making a bowl game with losses to both in-state rivals. Talk about a turn of events!