Football

• SB Nation’s Jason Kirk released his very early bowl projections for the 2016 season and although he doesn’t have Florida State in his College Football Playoff, he does have the Seminoles in a New Years Six bowl once again and facing a somewhat familiar opponent.
• Members of the 2016 FSU football team took to social media recently to share photos taken from a preseason photoshoot.
• Our own Ricobert1 used some impressive statistical work to analyze why Florida State is favored in 11 of its 12 regular-season matchups but is projected to win just 8.5.
• NFL media analyst Daniel Jeremiah released his first NFL scouting report for Seminole tailback Dalvin Cook on Tuesday.

Cook is an electric playmaker. He reminds me so much of Chris Johnson when he was playing at East Carolina. He might gain limited yards on five consecutive carries, but then he'll pop one for a score of 60-plus yards. He produced a run of 30-plus yards in nine different games last fall. He doesn't quite have the same top speed as Johnson(Cook should run in the high 4.3s/low 4.4s in the 40-yard dash) but he has similar suddenness and explosiveness. He can play on all three downs and is a threat to score from anywhere on the field.

• Jeremiah also updated his scouting report on one of Florida State’s best opposing players on the 2016 slate, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson.

The production is off the charts. Watson can dominate a game with his run-pass skill combination. As a passer, he has a quick delivery and slightly above-average arm strength. He has very quick feet in his setup and throws from a firm base. He shows the ability to throw with touch down the field (see Watson's 31-yard TD pass above to Hunter Renfrow in the national title game vs. Alabama) and has an uncanny ability to escape pressure. He is very accurate on the move, especially when rolling to his right side. As a runner, he has outstanding vision and quickness. He's used quite often in the zone-read game and he makes excellent decisions. He also does a good job of going down or getting out of bounds to avoid taking huge shots.

• Andy Hutchins of SB Nation poses the difficult question of whether a team composed entirely of backups off of Alabama’s roster could compete with an average FBS team. His takeaway is an interesting, albeit unsurprising, one.

Recruiting

• Bud Elliott caught up with recent FSU commit Isaiah Bolden, a four-star defensive back out of Jacksonville, at a 7-on-7 tournament last weekend.

NFL

• NFL.com’s Alex Gelhar analyzed whether Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota projects as a better fantasy quarterback in their sophomore campaigns.

So which of these young signal-callers would I take first? After completing this study, I think I'll have Winston ranked ever-so-slightly ahead of Mariota for 2016. While Mariota has the wheels, I'll take Winston's proficiency as a passer and the talent around him over Mariota's. Winston already has an elite wide receiver (Mike Evans) and proven, young running back duo (Doug Martinand Charles Sims). Mariota's top receiving option, Dorial Green-Beckham, is being surpassed on the depth chart by a fifth-round rookie, and we still aren't certain if DeMarco Murray has lost a step and if Derrick Henry can produce at the NFL level. It's close, but I'll give the edge to the former first-overall pick when it comes to finding a late-round fantasy signal-caller.

Other Sports

• FSU announced via press release on Tuesday that senior point guard Benji Bell would be transferring out of the program.