Noles News: Vegas considers FSU one of four favorites to make College Football Playoff

Recruiting

The names headed up to Tallahassee this weekend continue to stack up:

Football

Florida State is three days out from returning home to Doak Campbell Stadium, set to take on the Virginia Tech Hokies in another ACC matchup. FSU is looking to go 5-0 for the first time under Mike Norvell as well as 3-0 in ACC play.

FSU leads the all-time series against Virginia Tech 23-13-1, with the most notable win in the series for Florida State being its 46-29 victory over the Michael Vick-led Hokies in the 2000 Sugar Bowl, giving the Seminoles their second national championship and the sport’s first-ever wire-to-wire championship.

According to DraftKings, the Seminoles are 24-point favorites against the Hokies, with the over-under set at 53.

Vegas considers FSU one of four favorites to make College Football Playoff at -145. Only Georgia is currently garnering lower odds (-205), with Texas (-105) and Michigan (-130) also being considered the most likely to make the playoff, according to DraftKings.

Florida State hit the turf for another day of prep, with the day’s work reportedly being one of high energy:

Mike Norvell was in his element as the first drills of practice got underway Tuesday morning — as mentioned yesterday, there may not be another person on the planet more excited for FSU to take the field after being off for 14 days.

The Seminoles matched the coach’s energy at practice, one Norvell described as “energetic... the speed we practiced with was good.” The offense and defense each produced up and down moments during the day as the offense looked better in 11 on 11 drills earlier, with the defense finding its stride as practice wore on.

As the clock continues to tick down on decision time for the malcontents in the ACC, it’s become increasingly obvious that the fates of FSU and Clemson are intertwined.

From our Jon Loesche:

It has long been speculated Clemson has similar feelings as Florida State regarding the ACC’s current financial gap compared to the SEC and Big Ten — but there hadn’t been the kinds of public rumblings from Clemson that FSU administrators have been so freely airing.

That changed last week with two bombshell reports. Gene Sapakoff of the Post & Courier first reported that Clemson administrators were in talks with both the SEC and Big Ten while Larry Williams of Tigers Illustrated stated he expects Clemson to announce their departure from the ACC in October.

Per the Post & Courier article, Clemson is taking a “strength in numbers” approach, which would hint at Clemson working with Florida State and possibly North Carolina on a conference exit strategy. Florida State Board of Trustee member Drew Weatherford said it best earlier this summer by emphasizing that FSU leaving the ACC was a matter of “when” and not “if.” While North Carolina has frequently been mentioned as a target for the Big Ten and SEC it was hard to imagine the school that was the bedrock of the conference leaving until a few months ago. That changed with the ACC’s additions of SMU, Cal, and Stanford. Florida State, Clemson, and North Carolina all voted against the expansion but North Carolina went a step further to issue a very public rebuke of the expansion.

There is too much smoke for there not to be fire behind the scenes. Credible reports of the Four Corners schools speaking with the Big 12 started almost a year before the PAC-12 exodus. Florida State and Clemson realize that staying in the ACC until 2036 will be a death by a thousand cuts while their rivals get an extra $30 million a year in television revenue.

Basketball

Former Florida State basketball player Devin Vassell has resigned with the San Antonio Spurs in what is the largest deal in franchise history.

From our SB Nation sister site Pounding the Rock:

Vassell becomes the sixth member of the 2020 class to sign the rookie-scale extension. Anthony Edwards, LaMelo Ball and Tyrese Haliburton all signed the max-extension of $216 million this summer, while Desmond Bane signed a 5-year, $197 million deal and Isaiah Stewart signed a 4-year, $60 million deal.

The 4th year wing is coming off of a breakout season that was hampered by a knee injury. Vassell averaged 18.5 points and 3.6 assists while shooting 38.7% from three in 38 games last year. He showed improved creativity off of the bounce and was a knockdown spot up shooter off the ball.

The deal is the largest contract in Spurs history, topping Kawhi Leonard’s 5-year $94.3 million contract signed in 2015. The details of Vassell’s contract including incentives have yet to be released.

Soccer

No. 2 Florida State women’s soccer (8-0-1, 3-0-1) will look to keep its unbeaten streak alive as it hits the road on Thursday to take on Louisville (2-6-4, 1-2-1):

Last Time Out: Jordynn Dudley scored two goals in the second half, and the Seminoles’ defense put together a historic defensive performance as No. 2 FSU beat rival Miami 2-0. Dudley recorded her second consecutive multi-goal game for the Seminoles. FSU did not allow a single shot against the Hurricanes. This is the first time that Sept. 8, 2019, against Samford and just the third time against an ACC opponent that the Seminoles have not allowed a shot.

A Star in the Making: Freshman forward Jordynn Dudley has put together one of the best freshman seasons in the country. Dudley has scored seven goals while adding three assists. Dudley is in the middle of back-to-back two-goal matches against No. 1 North Carolina and Miami. Dudley is the only freshman to have three multi-goal games this season. Dudley ranks third among freshmen for total goals scored this season and is second in the ACC in total goals but first in the ACC in goals per game.

Suffocating Defense: FSU has once again been one of the top defensive teams in the country. In their last match against Miami, the Seminoles did not allow a single shot. This was the first time the Seminoles have held an opponent to 0 shots since Sept. 8, 2019, against Samford. It was the eighth time the Seminoles have held an opponent to 0 shots and just the third time and first time since 2014 that FSU has held an ACC opponent to 0 shots. FSU is one of just three teams in the country to hold a conference opponent to 0 shots in a match this season.

Comeback Kids: FSU pulled off an impressive comeback against No. 8 Clemson. After the Tigers scored two goals in the first 20 minutes, the Seminoles rallied to score four unanswered goals to defeat the Tigers. It was the Seminoles’ largest comeback since Sept. 18, 2014, against Connecticut. It was just the sixth time in school history that FSU has come back from two goals to win a game.

The Seminoles had to come back against Syracuse as they trailed 2-1 at halftime. FSU rallied with two goals in the second half to take the match. This was the first time since the 2011 season that FSU has had back-to-back comeback wins.

The Seminoles continued their comeback ways against No. 1 North Carolina. After the Tar Heels took the lead with just under five minutes to go, the Seminoles had one last chance with under 10 seconds to go. Taylor Huff sent in a corner kick that deflected right to Mimi Van Zanten who scored with two seconds left.

Finishing Strong: The Seminoles have dominated teams in the final 25 minutes of the match. In the last 25 minutes of their games this season, FSU is outscoring opponents 12-3 with two of those goals being surrendered against No. 1 North Carolina.

Dominating the Second Half: The Seminoles have been unstoppable in the final 45 minutes of their first six matches. In the second half this season, FSU is outscoring their opponents 19-3 compared to just a 7-6 advantage in the first half. Under Head Coach Brian Pensky, the Seminoles have outscored their opponents 60-13 in the second half.

Road Warriors: Florida State is 5-0-1 on the road with two wins and a tie against top 10 teams on the road. FSU defeated No. 9 TCU, 2-0 and beat No. 8 Clemson, 4-2. FSU won six consecutive road matches dating back to last season which is tied for the second-longest streak in school history.

Taking Care of Business: When teams play Florida State, they rarely leave with an upset. FSU has won 44 consecutive games against unranked opponents dating back to Oct. 25, 2018.

Dishing it Out: Taylor Huff leads the Seminoles with seven assists this season and leads the ACC and is second in the country with 0.78 assists per game.

FSU Versus the ACC: The Seminoles have an all-time ACC record of 161-81-28 (.645). Florida State is 129-35-22 (.750) in league play since 2005. Since 2005, FSU is 75-11-7 (.842) against league opponents at home and 54-24-15 (.656) on the road. FSU has finished no lower than second place (including ties) in the ACC 14 times (2005-10, 2012-15, 2019-22) over the last 18 years, claiming five regular season titles (2009, 2012, 2014, 2018, 2020 and 2022).

Baseball

Softball

All Sports

Florida State is set to add women’s lacrosse as a scholarship sport beginning in 2025:

“We are excited to add women’s lacrosse as a varsity scholarship program at Florida State,” Florida State athletic director Michael Alford said. “Lacrosse is the fastest growing college sport nationally and it is evident that our culture and community will enthusiastically embrace it. Lacrosse provides another opportunity to compete at a championship level.”

The school says its “fully committed to taking appropriate steps to onboard the new women’s varsity lacrosse team with equipment, facilities, resources, scholarships, staffing, and support” and will begin a search for a head coach in “the coming weeks.”

“Creating opportunities for women to achieve excellence has always been a bedrock of our values at Florida State,” said Alford. “This is merely another chapter in a long history. We have been, and continue to be, unwavering in our commitment to that. It’s integral to our university and athletics culture. That’s been reflected in our elevated financial support for facilities and staff for women’s teams in recent years.”

The No. 5 FSU men’s golf team finished the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational at Shady Oaks Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas in sixth place on Tuesday afternoon, shooting 2-over (284-279-279) for the tournament:

Senior Brett Roberts fired a final-round 67 and tied for seventh overall at 4-under (71-68-67), getting better with each round played. The Coral Springs, Fla., native delivered an eagle on the par-5, 610-yard eighth hole and added five more birdies in what was a quality day of golf for the three-time All-American.

Like many of the golfers, Roberts took advantage of the front nine with a 31 before finishing the back nine with a 36.

Freshman Tyler Weaver continued his strong debut as a Seminole, playing another solid tournament as he ended his day with a 68. Weaver shot 1-over (70-73-68) over his three rounds and tied for 25th. His final round included four birdies and two bogeys.

Sophomore Luke Clanton went 2-over for the tournament (71-71-70), tying for 30th in a final round that featured three birdies alongside three bogeys.

Redshirt senior Cole Anderson tied for 43rd and sophomore Jack Bigham tied for 48th. Vanderbilt won the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational by a stroke (-16) over second-place North Carolina (-15).

FSU volleyball is set to take on the Miami Hurricanes tonight on the road:

The Seminoles (10-6, 4-0) are looking to start 5-0 in ACC play for the first time since 2015 as they prepare for their rivalry match. FSU defeated the Hurricanes on the road last season, 3-0.

Koenig’s award-winning weekend as the ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week included averaging 4.13 kills per set, 4.38 points per set and 2.50 digs per set vs. UNC and Duke. The Seminoles defeated the Tar Heels, 3-0, last Friday and topped the Blue Devils, 3-2, on Sunday.

FSU is 37-24-1 all-time against Miami. The two teams have split their last 10 matches at 5-5.

FSU cross country athlete David Mullarkey was named the ACC Men’s Cross Country Performer of the Week:

Mullarkey led the Seminoles to a second-place finish with a total of 95 points, just eight behind No. 9 Notre Dame. FSU knocked off three ranked teams in the process, finishing ahead of No. 21 NC State (174), No. 27 Alabama (114) and No. 28 Montana State (256).

It was the best finish for the men’s team at the historic meet since 2011, when FSU also placed second.

Mullarkey was the third different runner to lead FSU this season and second to take home Performer of the Week honors.

Abdirizak Ibrahim won the 8K at the Firetower Project Run and was named ACC Performer of the Week and Matthew Neill took home the title in the 8k at the Covered Bridge Open.