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Florida State Football: Week one will test Jimbo Fisher’s confidence in the ACC

By Matty Breisch

MIAMI GARDENS, FL - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Jimbo Fisher of the Florida State Seminoles looks on prior to their Capitol One Orange Bowl game against the Michigan Wolverines at Sun Life Stadium on December 30, 2016 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FL - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Jimbo Fisher of the Florida State Seminoles looks on prior to their Capitol One Orange Bowl game against the Michigan Wolverines at Sun Life Stadium on December 30, 2016 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images) /
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Jimbo Fisher declared the ACC the “premier conference” in college football. Florida State football will have to back that up against Alabama in week one.

Jimbo Fisher is not a man lacking in confidence.

More: Fisher calls the ACC the premier conference in college football

He lead the Florida State Seminoles to a 10-3 record in 2016 behind the arm of redshirt freshman quarterback Deondre Francois. It was off of that season that Fisher declared that the ACC, home of college football heavy weights like Clemson, Louisville and Florida State, had earned the right to be called the “premier conference” in college football.

Jimbo’s claims of ACC dominance weren’t totally unsubstantiated. Five of the conference’s teams finished in the final AP Top 25 Poll in 2016. In fact, since the inception of the College Football Playoff in 2014, the ACC has always had one of its teams represented in the AP final four. Next season should be no exception.

Looking ahead to FSU’s 2017 season

The 2017 Seminoles are returning a roster that is largely unchanged from last season. That squad ranked No. 8 in the country. There’s an incredibly high probability that they could again be in contention for a spot in the playoff.

However, if Fisher’s squad is to return to the playoffs next season they’ll need to start with a win their first game of the year, a tour de force against the reigning No. 1 team in the country: the Alabama Crimson Tide.

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The Tide did lose a number of its players to the NFL draft and transfers this offseason. However, they remain an incredibly formative challenge for any team in the country. That includes the Seminoles.

Much like FSU, Alabama has an athletic sophomore quarterback surrounded by a veteran defense and a high scoring offense. If Jimbo wants to set his team on the fast track to the post season they will surely need to put on a show at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 2nd 2017.

The Seminoles lost their star running back Dalvin Cook to the NFL. Still, the team is projected to have a veteran offense and defense, without a single freshman starting. The experience that players like Deondre Francois, Tarvarus McFadden and Derrick Nnadi earned last season will be paramount for FSU’s success in 2017, especially under the bright lights of a prime time game.

Next: 5 most important ACC non-conference games in 2017

Jimbo Fisher has an entire offseason to prepare for his team’s week one bout against Alabama. If they can pull off an upset and beat Alabama in arguably their most challenging game of the season, it will go along way to vindicating Fisher’s claims of ACC supremacy.

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