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After a 2017 season that saw FSU go 7-6 and a 2018 season that saw FSU miss its first bowl in 40+ years; it’s no surprise that FSU hasn’t entered many, if any top 25 pre-season polls but that changed today when ESPN updated its pre-season FPI rankings.
The Seminoles enter the countdown at No. 21 and are projected to win eight regular season games against a strength of schedule that ranks 46th in FBS football. After ranking 83rd in team-efficiency in last year’s final poll it would be a pretty big jump although not impossible.
It’s not inconceivable that they could win eight games this year which usually results in a top 25 regular season finish. For at least the last three years Power 5 teams that finished ranked from 20 to 25 won no more than eight regular season games.
If FSU has a bad offensive line this year combined with better injury cluster luck (Bud went into detail on this on the May 3rd episode of the Nolecast) and the man he always wanted running his offense in Kendal Briles; FSU could win eight games this year. A bad offensive line this year would be a significant upgrade:
Said this today on the @Nolecast
— Bud Elliott (@BudElliott3) May 22, 2019
2018 FSU OL was terrible. Legitimately the worst in P5, one of worst in all of football.
A big jump would be to get to bad. Terrible to bad is significant. Below average for 2019 is probably unrealistic.
Try to get to average OL in 2020, good 21
Still for a team that has finished un-ranked in consecutive years a top 25 finish might seem outlandish so what do you think? Is FSU too high? Is FSU too low (I’d be very interested in that argument) Or is FSU just right?