Florida State Football: Game-by-game predictions for 2017

The Florida State Seminoles welcome the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks to town in Week 2. The Warhawks are currently going through a rebuild behind head coach Matt Viator.

ULM went 4-8 under Viator last season. They are a member of the Sun Belt Conference and went 3-5 in conference play last season. They are a team without a leading rusher or many offensive weapons but they should improve in year two of Coach Viator’s tenure.

The offense is a good rushing team but they lack a primary running back out of the backfield. They were third in the conference in rushing yards per game (181.3). It was everywhere else where the Warhawks struggled.

They were eighth in the conference in passing yards per game (192.0) and ninth in the conference in points per game (23.3). They’ve got experience returning on offense, however, talent is still hard to come by.

Defensively, ULM returns eight players, but that’s the only positive. The defense ranked 119th nationally in yards allowed per game (480.3), 125th in rushing yards allowed per game (260.3) and 122nd in scoring defense (39.1 points per game). They are still adjusting to their 4-2-5 scheme under Coach Viator. Look for better progress in 2017.

In terms of facing the Seminoles, the Warhawks are nothing more than a tuneup game. It is the second-ever meeting between the two squads. Florida State defeated the Warhawks 34-0 in their last meeting during the 2011 season.

Final: UL Monroe 7, Florida State 42 (1-1)