ESPN Lists FSU Football Opponent As No. 1 G5 Team That Could Make College Football Playoff

The Seminoles can't overlook a team that is flying under the radar ahead of the 2024 season.

Dec 29, 2023; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Tigers head coach Ryan Silverfield watches during warm ups / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

There are a lot of potentially exciting matchups on Florida State's schedule ahead of the 2024 season, including two new conference opponents that the Seminoles will be welcoming to the ACC in Cal and SMU.

FSU will kick off the season against Georgia Tech in Ireland. The team is also scheduled to host Clemson and Florida while traveling to Miami, Notre Dame, and Duke. The number of marquee brands on the schedule makes it easy to forget about an opponent that is loaded to make a possible College Football Playoff run in the new 12-team era of the sport.

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Prior to arriving in Tallahassee, head coach Mike Norvell built Memphis into one of the top programs in the Group of 5. He guided the Tigers to two double-digit win seasons in four years along with an AAC conference championship. Ryan Silverfield took over after Norvell's departure to Florida State and has done an admirable job of keeping the team competitive.

There's a chance that Silverfield could take Memphis to even bigger heights this upcoming season. A few weeks ago, ESPN's Bill Connelly pegged the Tigers as the No. 1 threat out of the G5 to qualify for the CFP in 2024 ahead of programs such as Boise State, Liberty, and Tulane.

"If Boise State doesn't have the most upside, Memphis does. The Tigers have experience, too. Quarterback Seth Henigan and the receiver duo of Roc Taylor and DeMeer Blankumsee could lead a 40 PPG offense, the defense adds 10 transfers, and Memphis could be favored in every game but its Week 3 trip to Florida State.-- Bill Connelly"

The Tigers are returning multiple key pieces on an offense that ranked No. 14 in the country a year ago. Quarterback Seth Henigan has led the unit in all three seasons of Silverfield's tenure with Memphis. He's coming off a career-year where he completed 318/476 passes (66.8%) for 3,883 yards with 32 touchdowns to nine interceptions. Henigan is joined by a pair of wide receivers that recorded 900+ yards in 2023 in Roc Taylor (69 catches, 1,083 yards, 4 TDs) and Demeer Blankumsee (53 catches, 901 yards, 7 TDs).

Memphis will have to replace three starters on an offensive line that helped the team average 39.4 points per game. That includes left tackle Makylan Pounders and center Jacob Likes. On the other side of the ball, the Tigers return their top defender in linebacker Chandler Martin, who led the team with 95 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, three sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two interceptions, two pass deflections, and one defensive touchdown. It's worth noting that the program ranked No. 111 in total defense last season.

For the first time since its introduction ten years ago, at least one team outside of the Power 5 is guaranteed to earn a bid to the College Football Playoff. The five highest-ranked conference champions will automatically be included in the field, meaning this is a massive opportunity for Silverfield and his squad. An upset against the Seminoles would provide the Tigers with a program-changing victory and they'll more than likely be favored in the remainder of their contests.

Florida State's defense will need to dial in for a dynamic Memphis offense that will be coming to town on the heels of the season-opener in Ireland, home opener against Boston College, and an early BYE week. The Seminoles are 6-1 against G5/FCS opponents since Norvell took over in 2020, winning those games by an average score of 48.1-13.9. The only hiccup during that time was a shocking defeat at the hands of Jacksonville State nearly three years ago.

The Seminoles certainly can't look past Memphis during a matchup that has already been scheduled to kick off at noon on September 14. The storylines between Norvell and the Tigers will be filled with plenty of heat under the unforgiving Tallahassee sun.

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