Why Notre Dame Will Upset Florida State and More in Vegas ACC Predictions Week 8
Saturday Blitz Vegas ACC Predictions Week 8
Game of the Week
No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at No. 2 Florida State Seminoles
Line: Florida State by 12
This is the most offensive thing I have seen in college football in a long time. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are a Top 5 team just like Florida State. How can a game between two Top 5 teams have a double-digit point spread? I don’t care how good Florida State is supposed to be and that they are playing at home. It’s not like the Irish don’t have quality wins on their resume as well. Stanford? That counts. Just like Oklahoma State and Clemson count for the Seminoles. So let’s call this what it is and say that this game deserves more respect than it is getting. There is a reason College Gameday is making it’s way to Tallahassee on Saturday. If it were going to be a blowout, and they felt that in their heart of hearts, then they would consider this a game worthy of drawing interest. So let’s stop pretending.
The Irish have not lost a regular season game with Everett Golson as the starter at quarterback. Now at 6-0 with him back in the lineup this year, Brian Kelly’s team is averaging 280.5 yards a game and 35 points a game. Sure, the defense has been an issue at times, but they showed against Stanford they can match physical styles of play that other great teams have and still pull out close victories. A great passing game with a mobile quarterback is the key to beating the Seminoles as well. That means this game falls on Golson and the defense. Oklahoma State and Clemson almost beat the Seminoles with quarterbacks who are accurate but have some mobility. The Irish have the same thing, so Golson has to be utilized as much as possible. Notre Dame’s defense, meanwhile, needs to force turnovers and be the defense that showed up against Stanford and Michigan, not that showed up against North Carolina. If those two things happen, they’ll be in great position to pull off a huge road upset.
Florida State, meanwhile, needs to first focus on getting the Jameis Winston distraction out of its head. Winston is going to play Saturday, and the whole team and fan base, along with Jimbo Fisher, appear focused on his issues. Focus on football. That includes the fans, who are worried about leading a boycott of College Gameday right now as opposed to preparing for an amazing evening showdown. You guys do have a game to worry about against a Top 5 team. And it’s absolutely critical that Winston play well for the Seminoles to win. North Carolina showed last week that great quarterback play along with a passing game in general is what gives the Irish trouble. That means Winston and wide receiver Rashad Greene need to connect and look like the dominant duo they’ve been so far this year for the Seminoles to win. The two need to be utilized as much as possible by Fisher. And the FSU secondary absolutely has to come through. J.W. Walsh, Deshaun Watson, and Jacoby Brissett are the three best quarterbacks that the Seminoles have faced all year, and they have been torched all three times. Now comes Everett Golson. If the secondary doesn’t step up and the passing game isn’t dominant, this will be an upset.
Prediction
Notre Dame is the perfect match-up to give Florida State trouble. Among the teams that have the players to exploit the Seminoles’ weaknesses and have given them trouble this year, the Irish are by far the best. And they are playing the Seminoles at a perfect time, with distraction city rocking this team. And that is going to lead to the massive upset that shouldn’t be considered so massive. Florida State is the better team, but Notre Dame is going to catch them at just the right time. And they are still a great team. After struggling against Oklahoma State, Clemson, and then N.C. State (who looks awful now), the Seminoles are due for a slip-up, and it’s going to be here. They are focused on everything but this game. Fans can boycott College Gameday all they want. They’ll realize Saturday night after a loss that a boycott shouldn’t have been the focus. Fisher can defend Winston all he wants. It’ll be irrelevant after Saturday night.
People forget that this Irish team has added two great recruiting classes to the team that made it to the national title game two years ago, and with Golson is back, they are much better. This team will prove that it’s 6-0 record is legitimate, and they will go out and take respect. Florida State-Notre Dame in 1993 was deemed the “Game of the Century.” Well, this will be the Game of this Century so far. And after Saturday, people will realize they should have given this the respect of a Top 5 match-up it deserved. Notre Dame wins in Tallahassee.
Notre Dame: 34 Florida State: 31