Noles News: FSU has best odds to make College Football Playoff

Recruiting

Class of 2024 commitments

QUARTERBACK: 4 star Luke Kromenhoek (GA)

RUNNING BACK: 4 star Kam Davis (GA)

RUNNING BACK: 4 star Micahi Danzy (FL)

WIDE RECEIVER: 4 star Camdon Frier (FL)

WIDE RECEIVER: 4 star Lawayne McCoy (FL)

WIDE RECEIVER: 4 star BJ Gibson (GA)

WIDE RECEIVER: 4 star Elijah Moore (MD)

TIGHT END: 5 star Landen Thomas (GA)

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN: 4 star Jonathan Daniels (FL)

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN: 3 star Tye Hylton (FL)

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN: 4 star Manasse Itete (CA)

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN: 3 star Jayden Todd (GA)

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: 5 star Armondo Blount

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: 4 star DD Holmes (DC)

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN: 3 star Jamorie Flagg (FL)

LINEBACKER: 3 star Jayden Parrish (FL)

LINEBACKER: 3 star Timir Hickman-Collins (SC)

DEFENSIVE BACK: 5 star KJ Bolden (GA)

DEFENSIVE BACK: 5 star Charles Lester III (FL)

DEFENSIVE BACK: 4 star Ricky Knight III (FL)

DEFENSIVE BACK: 3 star CJ Heard (GA)

KICKER: 3 star Jake Weinberg (FL)

Football

Anybody worried about a dropoff in focus and intensity from Florida State following a blowout win over Wake Forest, you can relax — on Tuesday, the Seminoles came out with an energy that head coach Mike Norvell described as “feisty.”

From Jordan Silversmith:

Last week, after Florida State took down Duke, Mike Norvell said he saw his team’s most energetic week of practice since the season began.

It may have already been replaced.

“We had some energy today, sometimes needed more focused energy, a little feisty out there, I would say, but it was good. It was physical, it was fast...I liked the way the guys came and approached today.”

From the actual practice, it looked much of the same from the last couple of weeks. The defense dominated early in the day, only giving up one play of positive yardage in the first 11 on 11 period, but the offense made gains as the day went along.

In the first edition of the College Football Playoff Rankings, Florida State was slotted No. 4 — in line with the Seminoles’ AP and Coaches Poll rank — behind No. 3 Michigan, No. 2 Georgia and No. 1 Ohio State:

“Ohio State was ranked No. 1, due in part to their big wins against Penn State and at Notre Dame,” College Football Playoff committee chair Boo Corrigan said on a teleconference following the reveal of the rankings. “Georgia No. 2 is an excellent team and they keep winning decisively. Michigan was ranked 3. The committee was impressed at how they’ve dominated their opponents. Florida State was ranked 4 with their win against LSU helping make their case.”

“From a Georgia standpoint [there are wins over] Florida and Kentucky, with Ohio State you can point to Penn State, the win at Notre Dame, the win at Wisconsin, while [with Michigan] UNLV, Rutgers, Nebraska, Minnesota are good wins, I think looking at it in total, even with the dominance offensively and defensively, defensively giving up about six points a game, it really turned the committee’s head from that standpoint, but that was the reason they came in at third.”

“I think as you look at the full body of work, Florida State being No. 4, the win over LSU, the win against Duke, kind of a front-loaded schedule, if you will. They’ve looked really good. Offensively putting up 41 points a game. Their defense is ranked in the top 20. But again, as we looked at it overall and went through the process, we came out with Ohio State 1, Georgia 2, Michigan 3, Florida State 4.”

“With regards to Washington, huge win over Oregon, who we have at No. 6, but in looking at that, the game most recently, two most recent games at home against Arizona State and on the road at Stanford from a committee standpoint gave us some pause and put them in at No. 5.”

Some notes, via FSU Sports Info:

• Florida State, 8-0 overall and 6-0 in the ACC, leads the country with 14 consecutive 30-point games, the second-longest streak in ACC history. FSU leads the ACC and is fifth nationally, scoring 41.5 points per game, and is 11th in the country and tops in the ACC with a 93.9 Red Zone conversion percentage.
• Defensively, FSU leads the country with just three passing touchdowns allowed, and opponents are completing just 49.4 percent of its passes against the Noles, the only team in the nation forcing more incompletions than completions allowed. Florida State is fifth in the country, holding opponents to a 101.59 passer rating.
• In October, the Seminoles held all four opponents under 150 passing yards and did not allow a passing touchdown.
• Florida State has now been included in six consecutive CFP rankings dating to last season, when the Noles improved each week in November, jumping from 23rd to a final spot of 13th. FSU’s ranking is its highest since 2014, when FSU was in the top-four for all seven rankings released that season and played in the first College Football Playoff Semifinal.

The full Week 10 College Football Playoff Rankings:

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0, at Rutgers Scarlet Knights)
2. Georgia Bulldogs (8-0, vs. No. 12 Missouri Tigers)
3. Michigan Wolverines (8-0, vs. Purdue Boilermakers)
4. Florida State Seminoles (8-0, at Pitt Panthers)
5. Washington Huskies (8-0, at USC Trojans)
6. Oregon Ducks (7-1, vs. Cal Golden Bears)
7. Texas Longhorns (7-1, vs. Kansas State Wildcats)
8. Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1, vs. No. 14 LSU Tigers)
9. Oklahoma Sooners (7-1, at Oklahoma State Cowboys)
10. Ole Miss Rebels (7-1, vs. Texas A&M Aggies)
11. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-1, at Maryland Terrapins)
12. Missouri Tigers (7-1, at No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs)
13. Louisville Cardinals (7-1, vs. Virginia Tech Hokies)
14. LSU Tigers (6-2, at No. 8 Alabama Crimson Tide)
15. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-2, at Clemson Tigers)
16. Oregon State Beavers (6-2, at Colorado Buffaloes)
17. Tennessee Volunteers (6-2, vs. UConn Huskies)
18. Utah Utes (6-2, vs. No. 18 Arizona State Sun Devils)
19. UCLA Bruins (6-2, at Arizona Wildcats)
20. USC Trojans (7-2, vs. No. 5 Washington Huskies)
21. Kansas Jayhawks (6-2, at Iowa State Cyclones)
22. Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-2, vs. No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners)
23. Kansas State Wildcats (6-2, at Texas Longhorns)
24. Tulane Green Wave (7-1, at East Carolina Pirates)
25. Air Force Falcons (8-0, vs. Army Black Knights)

Florida State is considered the favorite to make the 2023 College Football Playoff at the moment, sitting at -270 odds ahead of Georgia (-220) and Michigan (-175), according to DraftKings:

• Florida State Seminoles: Yes (-270) / No (+215)
• Georgia Bulldogs: Yes (-220) / No (+180)
• Michigan Wolverines: Yes (-175) / No (+140)
• Ohio State Buckeyes: Yes (+105) / No (-135)
• Washington Huskies: Yes (+140) / No (-175)
• Oregon Ducks: Yes (+170) / No (-210)
• Texas Longhorns: Yes (+220) / No (-280)
• Alabama Crimson Tide: Yes (+270) / No (-350)

Odds to win 2023 College Football Playoff, via DraftKings

1. Michigan Wolverines (+240)
2. Georgia Bulldogs (+240)
3. Florida State Seminoles (+600)
4. Ohio State Buckeyes (+700)
5. Oregon Ducks (+1400)
6. Washington Huskies (+1500)
7. Alabama Crimson Tide (+1500)
8. Texas Longhorns (+1600)
9. Oklahoma Sooners (+4000)
10. LSU Tigers (+5000)

Florida State defensive back Renardo Green has been named one of 15 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award:

Green, from Orlando, ranks 12th nationally and leads the ACC with 1.2 pass breakups per game and is the only Thorpe Award semifinalist from the conference. He was named the ACC Defensive Back of the Week for his game at Clemson, when he had seven tackles, including a two-yard tackle for loss that resulted in a Clemson punt. Green’s third-down tackle for no gain against the Tigers in overtime set up a fourth-down stop as the Seminoles snapped Clemson’s 25-game home winning streak in ACC games.

Green opened the season with his first career interception against No. 5 LSU. Green was part of a Seminole defense that held LSU – the nation’s top scoring offense – to a season-low 24 points.

Green’s three pass breakups at Wake Forest Saturday were a career high.

Green is attempting to be the third Seminole to win the award, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders in 1988 and College Football Hall of Famer Terrell Buckley in 1991.

Basketball

Prayers up for women’s basketball head coach Brooke Wyckoff on a speedy recovery, as it was announced Tuesday that she underwent surgery that morning to remove a mass that has been diagnosed as breast cancer:

Wyckoff is recovering well at Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare (TMH) and doctors are optimistic that her long-term prognosis for a full recovery is excellent.

“My team of doctors along with the medical staff at TMH and I are very optimistic that this can be successfully dealt with while maintaining a high quality, active lifestyle,” said Wyckoff prior to surgery. “I am very comfortable with the plan for surgery and post-surgical treatment, and I am looking forward to continuing to lead our women’s basketball program through another successful season.”

“Obviously, our utmost concern is for Brooke and her family, and we will be fully supportive in every way as we navigate this situation together,” said Michael Alford, Vice President and Director of Athletics at FSU. “Brooke’s positive attitude and proactive nature is a tremendous asset for her and illuminates the importance of being thorough and aggressive in attacking this illness.”

Associate Head Coach Bill Ferrara will take over duties for Wyckoff during the No. 18 Seminoles’ final exhibition game — the second-year head coach expects to return for FSU’s season opener versus Charleston Southern on November 6.

That exhibition game is set for Wednesday, when the Seminoles will welcome Clayton State:

The Seminoles recorded a 124-50 win in their first exhibition of the season vs. Flagler on Oct. 26, led by All-American Ta’Niya Latson’s 35 points on 12-of-21 shooting.

Florida State begins its 2023-24 season with a No. 18 ranking in the Associated Press preseason poll. It is FSU’s highest preseason rank by the AP since being 16th in the 2021-22 preseason poll. FSU is also 22nd in the preseason USA TODAY coaches’ poll.

The Seminoles are one of four ACC programs that return their top three scorers from a season ago in sophomore guard Ta’Niya Latson (21.3), junior forward Makayla Timpson (13.2) and fifth-year guard Sara Bejedi (10.8).

Soccer

The 2023 ACC Tournament is here, with No. 1 seed and regular season conference champion Florida State set to take on Pitt on Thursday, with the game set to be broadcast on the ACC Network.

Our Prince Akeem Joeffer offered insight into the matchup as well as FSU’s season in the latest edition of his Florida State Sports Notebook:

Florida State always has talent but the Seminoles lost significant front line talent in first round picks Jenna Nighswonger and Clara Robbins. FSU also lost Heather Payne who would have been a first round pick had she made herself available for the NWSL draft. Instead she signed with English first division side Everton. FSU also lost significant depth with the departures of Mia Justus, Amelia Horton, Summer Denigan and Emma Bissell.

Florida State has managed to overcome the losses and deliver one of the best regular seasons in program history.

This is the most athletic team that I have seen at Florida State in a long time (maybe ever). FSU has so many players who can score in so many ways that it is hard to match up. It’s like a football team with four great wideouts or four great defensive linemen. The opponents can’t double team everyone.

I do believe that FSU is the best team in the nation right now. The Noles are only 52nd nationally in goals against average (,800) but Massey ranks the defense overall as 5th in the nation. Nevertheless, if the Seminoles continue scoring goals at anywhere near this pace the defense won’t matter as much because teams simply won’t be able to keep up with that potent offense.

Regarding the ACC Tournament, Pitt is a real threat. They were impressive in the first round win at Chapel Hill. The Panthers fell to FSU 12 days ago in Tallahassee but it was a relatively close 3-2 game (although the Noles were dominant in the second half as usual). Pitt can score. They average 2.7 goals per game and Massey rates the Panther offense at 9th nationally. While Sarah Schupansky and Amanda West are legitimate threats I just don’t see Pitt being able to match FSU’s offensive firepower for a full 90 minutes.

In the other half of the bracket Clemson will face Notre Dame. FSU beat both of these teams by multiple goals in the regular season and I’m not sure that much will change in the ACC Tournament. The Seminoles are a bad matchup for any defensive first team (Clemson) and Notre Dame doesn’t have the offense to match FSU.

Of the teams remaining in the ACC Tournament, Pitt is the most dangerous but I still believe that FSU will end up in the ACC Tournament winner’s circle for the fourth straight time.

Softball

All Sports

Florida State men’s golf rode a big performance from Luke Clanton to take down the Florida Gators in the East Lake Cup Match Play Semifinal on Tuesday night at Atlanta Athletic Club:

Clanton delivered the winning birdie putt on the 18th hole to secure the victory and exact a bit of revenge on the Gators, whom defeated FSU by the same 3-2 score in last year’s NCAA Match Play Semifinal at Grayhawk Golf Club. With Clanton 4UP thru 14 holes, he managed to hang on and clinch FSU’s spot in the championship against North Carolina.

Delivering huge wins for the Seminoles were senior Gray Albright (3&1) as well as freshman Tyler Weaver (2&1). Albright defeated UF’s Ian Gilligan to help swing the momentum of the entire match, tying things up on the 12th hole. Albright then dominated holes 14-17, winning three of the four holes while halving hole 16 to get the big win.

Weaver and Parker Bell were knotted up through 14 holes before Weaver took the lead after a birdie on the par-3 15th hole. Weaver then recorded a 4 on the 16th hole to go 2UP before closing it out on the 17th when he halved the hole with Bell.

The Seminoles hope to win their second consecutive match play title after winning the prestigious Jackson Stephens Cup on Oct. 11, defeating Arizona. Wednesday’s match with UNC will be a rematch of last year’s Stephens Cup championship.

The Seminoles and Tar Heels will battle for the East Lake Cup title on Wednesday beginning at 12:30 p.m. Live coverage will be provided on the Golf Channel from 3-6 p.m. UNC defeated Georgia Tech, 3-2, in the other match play semifinal on Tuesday.