Florida State v. Idaho: Preview and prediction

Idaho is one of the worst teams in FBS ranking in at 119 out of 125 teams in F+ rankings. The game will be at 3:30 on ESPNU.

v. Idaho's defense

Let's talk about the second team offense here.

Sean Maguire will get ample opportunity to improve on last week's performance. Maguire only threw 5 passes against Syracuse, and while one went for a very nice TD, another went for a pick. Maguire was given time to play with the 1st team offense and he'll probably get one or two more series with them against Idaho. Can Maguire consistently get the offense into the right play? He might not have much of an opportunity to pass as FSU will likely force the run to shorten the game and remove injury possibilities.

Idaho will likely play soft coverage which will give Maguire plenty of opportunities for easy passes. It's possible that he gets frustrated and forces a few down field but Maguire would be smart to get the ball to his play makers and watch them eat up the yardage.

The second team offensive line has been a big drop off from the starters but they did look somewhat improved against Syracuse. Neither Idaho or Syracuse really present any problem for them but it's still important that the blockers read their keys and react correctly. The same can be said for the running backs and wide receivers but both second team units have played at a relatively high level all season.

Goals

• More than 9.0 yards a play before garbage time (270 yards on 30 plays, 360 yards on 40 plays, 450 yards on 50 plays)
• No more than 1 turnover
• 100% or greater TDs in the red zone

v. Idaho's offense

There's really very little Idaho can do on offense to affect FSU and there's little FSU fans can learn anything from watching it's second team defense against Idaho. Eventually, head coach Paul Pertrino will likely get the 119th F+ ranked offense in the top 100 but Saturday is not the time. It's a strong possibility that FSU holds Idaho under 100 of total offense before garbage time.

To fill up the rest of this space here are some facts about Idaho:

• In Idaho, law forbids a citizen to give another citizen a box of candy that weighs more than 50 pounds.
• The city of Grace in the Gem Valley is most famous for their certified seed potatoes.
• Shoshone Falls, The Niagara of the West, spills over a 212-foot drop near Twin Falls. (Apparently there's a Niagara of the west).
• Weiser is Home of the National Old Time Fiddlers Contest.

Idaho...

Goals

• Less than 2.0 yards/play allowed before garbage time (60 yards on 30 plays, 80 yards on 40 plays, etc.)
• Force 2 turnovers
• 0% touchdowns allowed in the red zone.

Special Teams

I asked the TN writers for additions to this preview (I gave serious thought to making this whole preview a haiku.. Here's what I got back:

• Come see Kermit run
  Kermit runs really fast
  Reserves will play big
• There's only one Amtrak stop in Idaho. Trust me on this one.
• They have pretty good potatoes?
• You should pay homage to Idaho as being the one team the true NCAA Dynasty gamer takes to greatness.
• If I had the time this week I was going to do a Q&A with myself where I just talked about potatoes and made jokes about Mark Schlereth. That's all I had.
• My dental hygienist is from Idaho... and she wants to move back.
• Talk about their punter and how FSU can steal him.
• Throw in random Napoleon Dynamite quotes. (ed. Tina, you fat lard, come get some DINNER!... Tina, eat. Food. Eat the FOOD!)
  
• Maybe a Petrino angle? (ed. Mike Leach is not a fan.)
• Their coach Paul Petrino was so desperate to get away from Fayetteville and his brothers mess that he jumped at the first opportunity, as bad as it was.
• Happy #NotBoise Week!
• B52’s Living in your own Private Idaho is all I got.
• Boise had outdoor escalators downtown when I was last there... Which was about 15 years ago

Prediction

This is a glorified scrimmage. If these teams played 100 times, FSU would blow them out 100 times, or as Dabo would put it Idaho would win 5. Even though this is the least interesting game on FSU's schedule it's still senior day and these seniors deserve all of FSU fans' respect. This is Jimbo Fisher's first recruiting class. These are the kids that took a chance on an unproven head coach and have brought FSU "back" and into the National Title Hunt. This game is all about them even if this preview isn't.

Florida State 60, Idaho 0 | Chance of winning: 99%