Florida State Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2017
The 2017 Florida State football team is the early favorite to win the ACC title, and then some. Will the Seminoles come out on top?
Head coach Jimbo Fisher is on to something in Tallahassee. The Florida State Seminoles have won 10 or more games since his second season as coach in 2012. They are prime for a run to the College Football Playoff after a 10-3 season in 2016.
The Seminoles have to reload in the backfield to be successful but Jacques Patrick (Doak Walker Award watch list) and true freshman Cam Akers should pick up the slack.
The offensive line also returns offensive guard Landon Dickerson. Dickerson suffered an ACL injury that sidelined him last season. The offense used seven different lineman combinations a year ago. The coaching staff looks for that to change this season.
On defense, Florida State looks scary good as it returns nine players. Although losing DeMarcus Walker hurts, other guys like Brian Burns and Josh Sweat should be ready to step up. Safety Derwin James also makes his long awaited return to the gridiron after suffering a torn meniscus last season. James is prime for a run at the Heisman Trophy with a big year.
Week One is one of the Florida State Seminoles’ biggest challenges. They meet the Alabama Crimson Tide for the first time since the 2007 season. The Seminoles won that game 21-14. Even though the teams are big football powerhouses, they have only met four times on the gridiron.
The Seminoles return nine starters on defense while Alabama returns six starters. The Crimson Tide are the favorite here with a slight edge given because of their defense. Yes, they will miss Jonathan Allen, Tim Williams and Ryan Anderson but there’s plenty of talent waiting in the wings.
The offensive line issues the Seminoles had in 2016 should come up again in this game. Deondre Francois did his best last season with what he was given, however, there were a few games hard hits put him out of the game for a brief moment.
The Crimson Tide are hard to beat in season openers. The last time they met an ACC school to open the season was in 2013 against the Virginia Tech Hokies. They won that game 35-10.
The game won’t be a blowout but expect Alabama to assert themselves as the best team in the nation in Week One.
Final: Alabama 38, Florida State 28 (0-1)