Where FEI advanced metrics rank FSU football after Duke loss

FSU football ranked No. 64 overall, No. 84 offensively, No. 50 defensively, and had the No. 2 ranked special teams unit going into the Duke game.

It's a game predicted they'd win, and they outplayed Duke in every aspect, except the offense turned the ball over four times. Duke scored 17 points off those turnovers, which was the difference in the 23-16 loss.

FSU's only touchdown in the game came from a 95-yard kickoff return by freshman Samuel Singleton. The FSU defense held Duke to two yards below their per-play average and a touchdown less than their scoring average. FSU held them below their already atrocious third-down conversion percentage. However, it wasn't enough.

Where do FEI advanced metrics have FSU after the embarrassing loss against Duke? FSU ranks No. 69 overall, No. 99 offensively, No. 45 defensively, and maintains the No. 2 spot nationally for special teams.

It goes to show how important having a capable offense is in today's college football. If FSU averaged 30 points per game, they'd likely only have one loss, if that, because the FSU offense turning the ball over has been one of the major issues to overcome. FSU has 13 turnovers, and nine have resulted in the opposing offense getting the ball in FSU territory.

I don't care how good a defense is. It's difficult to overcome those situations consistently. FSU has made the transition to playing two young quarterbacks, so we'll have to live with their inexperienced mistakes. However, hopefully, we'll begin to see some progress over the final five games in 2024.